In Another Timeline
by Sky's Limit5
Summary: A Fanfiction based off the 'Handplates' comic made by zarla. Casey, a human that has fallen into the Underground, stumbles upon a hidden secret in the True Lab...
1. Discovery

I know, I absolutely suck because I haven't updated any of my stories in a while, then all of a sudden I put this one up. (;.;) I've just been too distracted to do much with the other stories, and this one just suddenly overtook me and made me write it to the end. On the good side, this should be finished soon enough, and I might finally be able to focus on others soon.

And yes, I have become Undertale trash and have been obsessed with the game recently. Probably why this came out.

Anyway, this is based off an Undertale comic I saw on DeviantArt called _Handplates_ by zarla. The comic is based on Papyrus and Sans being creations of Gaster, though I won't say much more on that. Based on _In Another Timeline_ , where Frisk finds the two skelebros. Except, in this version, it's an OC that finds the two.

NYEH HEH! I have discovered a way around Fanfiction eating the link. Just erase the parenthesis. (zarla).(deviantart).com(/art/)(In-another-timeline-444232652)

So... Enjoy!

* * *

 _Step step step step step step._

 _Whirrr._

Casey peered into the darkness, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the dark room. She glanced around, even though nothing was currently visible, other than a dimly lit computer screen and four bars of blue light in the corner of the room. Now... What had she come down here for? The dinosaur-like monster upstairs, Alphys, sent her down here for something... Casey slowly stepped into the room, careful to keep from bumping into anything that might be in the way as she explored with each step.

 _Step. Step. Step. Step._

Briefly wondering where the light switch was, Casey made her way to the four bars of light. Stopping on the outside of them, she froze in shock. On the other side of the bars sat two little skeletons, sitting close to the light. One was smaller than the other, leaning on the taller one. Their eyesockets were closed... Were they asleep? Casey stepped closer to the light, stiffening when the taller skeleton opened its eyesockets. For a moment, the two stared at each other.

 _"ARE... A-ARE YOU A N-NEW L-LAB ASSISTANT?"_ It asked, it's voice sounding masculine, despite being a slightly higher pitch.

 _Lab assistant?_

"N-No?" Casey said slowly, making the skeleton tilt his head to the side.

 _"THEN... THEN WHY ARE YOU HERE?"_

"Someone asked me to get something." Casey answered. The skeleton opened his mouth to speak, but Casey interrupted. "I'm sorry, but I need to ask... Where is the switch for the light?"

 _"SOMEWHERE ON THE FAR WALL."_ He answered, his arm wrapping protectively around the smaller skeleton.

Casey smiled faintly at the sight. "Thanks." She stepped back into the darkness again, making her way to the other wall. It took a few minutes to find the switch. "Watch yourself." She warned the skeleton before flipping on the light. Turning around, she could see the skeleton squinting his eyesockets in the bright light. The other one didn't move.

One part of the room had a table with a broken tool and a few notebooks on it. Nearby, next to another door, sat a desk that held the computer and a few more notebooks on it. Casey walked over to the desk.

 _"ARE YOU GOING TO HURT US?"_

Casey blinked, surprised at that question as she rifled through the notebooks. They were all in a print that she couldn't understand, a bunch of symbols instead of actual letters. "No I don't, and wouldn't, hurt anyone."

 _"GOOD."_ The relief in the skeleton's voice made her heart twinge. _"... WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?"_

"Someone was concerned that her boss was doing something illegal. However, she's too scared to do anything. Since I'm already in trouble anyway, she asked me to look for something." Casey answered, not looking up from the notebooks.

 _"WHY ARE YOU IN TROUBLE? I THOUGHT YOU SAID YOU WOULDN'T HURT ANYONE."_

"I wouldn't... And didn't. But I'm a human, so I'm not welcome here."

 _"A HUMAN? ARE HUMANS BAD?"_

"Apparently so." Casey answered, placing the notebooks back to where they originally were on the desk. She walked over to the table. "Humans did bad things to monsters in the past, so humans are bad to them." She adds, starting to rifle through the notebooks.

 _"S-SO... SINCE YOU'RE A HUMAN... ARE YOU BAD?"_

Casey paused, staring at the notebooks and their strange symbol print. "... I hope not." The skeleton went silent until Casey finished, putting the notebooks back. They were all in the same strange symbol print and, being unable to read it, she didn't know what was important or not. Casey let out a faint sigh.

 **"didn't find what you were looking for?"** The new voice made Casey jump in surprise, and she turned towards the bars. The smaller skeleton was awake.

"Honestly? I'm not really sure what I'm even looking for." Casey admits, walking over to them. When she got close enough to actually look at them, she paused. "Oh God..." She murmured.

The two wore something akin to hospital gowns, and looked smaller in the light than they had in the dark... As if they were children. The taller one had a bandage wrapped around his lower left arm, while the smaller one had a bandage over his right eye. Both skeletons had a small, metal plate on their right hands. And the room they were in... Was more of a cell.

... She was done here. Casey had done what Alphys had asked of her, to try and find notes on the secret project the head scientist had been working on. All she had to do was turn around and walk away... Leave and pretend she saw nothing…

There was a glowing blue pad next to the doorway.

Casey pressed it.

The bars disappeared.


	2. A Fishy Encounter

The two skeletons jumped to their feet when the bars vanished, the shorter one standing protectively in front of the other one.

 **"what d'ya think you're doing?"** the shorter one asked defensively.

"It wouldn't very nice of me to leave you here." Casey answered.

The taller one let out a happy sound, pushing forward and knocking the air out of Casey's lungs as he tackled her in a hug. _"THANK YOU! THANK YOU, THANK YOU!"_

Casey hugged him back, coughing a bit as she struggled to breathe. "Heh, don't worry about it. What's your name?"

 _"... NAME?"_ The skeleton released her. _"WE DON'T HAVE ANY… HE CALLS US BY THE INITIALS ON THESE."_ He showed her the metal plate on his hand. _WDG-2P_.

"Huh…" Casey says softly, then looks back at the cell. The smaller skeleton was gone. She spun around, spotting him peering through the notebooks. "What are you looking for?"

He shrugged, flipping through one of the notebooks.

 _"BROTHER, HUMAN, WE SHOULD GET OUT OF HERE."_

 **"don't worry bro. the lights were out. he won't be back for a while."**

Casey walked over to the smaller skeleton, watching the white dot in his good eyesocket flit back and forth. "You can read that?"

 **"'course."** He replied cooly.

 _"HE'S BEEN TEACHING US HOW TO READ IT. I'M NOT VERY GOOD AT IT, THOUGH."_

The smaller skeleton's left eye glowed blue. **"what's this? ' Their fonts are clearly visible now. 1S has the font of Comic Sans, 2P has the font of Papyrus…. This fact, however, means nothing to me. It must mean nothing. Everything must proceed as planned.'"**

 _"FONTS? WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?"_

Before either of the other two could give a reply, there was the sound of heavy footsteps from outside the room.

 _"HE'S BACK!"_ 2P cried out in fear, scrambling backwards. 1S dropped the notebook onto the desk, stepping back.

Casey placed herself between the young skeletons and the door as the footsteps came closer, and the clanking sound of armor started getting louder… Wait… Armor?

 **"that's not him."**

The door opened to reveal a fish lady, Undyne, followed by Alphys. "HUMAN!"

"Oh, hi Undyne." Casey says, crossing her arms. "Nice to see you again."

"U-U-Undyne, p-please! Y-You d-d-don't have to-" Alphys started.

"You've been underground for TOO LONG!" Undyne interrupted, snapping at Casey as she ignored the two skeletons behind the human. "Now I'm gonna take your Soul MYSELF!"

"Have fun with that." Casey tells her, then grabbed the skeleton's hands and bolted, hearing Undyne let out of a screech of frustration.

 _Whirrr._

The door the trio ran through led to a machine that looked somewhat like a bird skull. Hanging a right, Casey and the skeletons ended up in a workroom that had several crates inside.

"Come on." Casey says to them, ducking behind a crate. The two followed her, 2P shaking in terror as heavy footsteps ran past the room. He hugged his brother tightly.

 **"what's goin' on here?"**

"That's Undyne, head of the Kings' Royal Guard. Because I'm a human, she wants to take my Soul." Casey answered.

 _"N-NOW WHAT?"_

Glancing at the two, Casey stood. "Stay here. I'll distract her, and afterwards, you can run. Get out of here, and I'll try to join you." She walked over to the door, glancing back at the crate the two were hiding behind before stepping out of the room. "Hey, Undyne! Bet you couldn't catch me even if I was blindfolded and had my hands tied behind my back!" She shouted before bolting down the hall. A moment later, Undyne thundered past the doorway.

 _"WH-WHAT DO WE DO, BROTHER? SHE COULD GET HURT!"_

" **we can get out of here. ya heard her. she said she'd be fine."**

 _"BROTHER! WE CAN NOT LEAVE HER BEHIND!"_ Making up his mind, 2P stood up and bolted toward the door.

 **"bro? come back here!"** 1S hurried after him.

* * *

Casey had found herself cornered in a back room, dodging the spears Undyne sent flying toward her. One swipe from a spear turned Casey's yellow Soul green. Casey hit the 'Spare' option before lifting her hands, a shield forming before them.

"Why won't you just give up?" Undyne asked, annoyed as she sent a flurry of small spears towards the human. "Or at the very least, fight back!"

Casey winced, not answering as a spear grazed her Soul, bringing her HP down to a very low level… And she had just used up her last healing item. After sparing Undyne again for her next turn, she prepared herself for another barrage of spears that would certainly mean her death…

…. But the attack never came.

A box of bones formed around Casey's Soul, deflecting the spears that came.

"What the-?" Undyne started, the fight ending in her surprise. As the world faded back into color, 2P ran between the two, his hands trembling as he held them up.

 _"TH-THERE'S NO NEED FOR VIOLENCE!"_ He said, his voice quavering as 1S stepped beside him.

Undyne looked at them in surprise. Two skeletons defending a human? She looked from them to Casey, then laughed. "Hiding behind children? You're a coward."

"U-U-Undyne?" Alphys stepped into the room, shaking. "L-Let's just g-go."

Undyne gave Casey a dark glare, then turned and followed the other monster out.

Casey collapsed to her knees, trembling in relief. "Thank God…"

2P turned to look at her. Seeing Casey kneeling, he began to panic. _"HUMAN! HUMAN, ARE YOU ALRIGHT? YOU ARE NOT BADLY HURT, ARE YOU?"_

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine." Casey answered. "Just a little low on HP…"

2P knelt down beside Casey, giving her a hug as his eyesockets began to glow a gentle green, and Casey's HP raised up to halfway. _"I'M SORRY, I CAN NOT HEAL YOU FULLY…"_ He says as he releases her.

Casey gave him a gentle smile. "Don't worry, kiddo." She says, standing and giving him a hug. "It's just enough." 2P hugged her back, his eyes glowing orange.

1S watched the human, tilting his head to the side. Despite the fact that she'd released them, he'd never truly trusted the human… But now… Watching her with his brother… Maybe she was alright?

Casey released 2P, blinking in surprise when he grabbed her hand. Curling her own hand around his, she looked between the two. "Come on, let's get you out of here." Leading the duo out of the room, 2P clung to her hand as1S following behind them.

As they entered the main area, 2P let go of Casey's hand long enough to hurry to the cell and pick up a color cube, then he hurried back and grabbed her hand again.

"Ready?" Casey asked the two.

 _"YES HUMAN!"_ 2P says as 1S nodded. _"VERY READY!"_

Smiling Casey started leading them to the door.

 _Whirrr._

* * *

 _Sorry, not sorry. ^^_


	3. A Surprise Arrival

_Silver Shadows in the Night: Yes, yes I do...  
_ _Papyrus: THE AUTHOR BINGE-READ THE COMICS IN ONE NIGHT!  
_ _PAPS! Get out of here!_

* * *

2P and 1S froze, making Casey stop as an adult skeleton walked into the room.

W.D. Gaster paused, looking around the room before his gaze settled onto the trio, 2P now cowering behind Casey. Raising his hand, the two monster's souls turned blue as he lifted them up, breaking the grip 2P had on Casey's hand.

"What's going on here?" He asked, his gaze turning to Casey.

 **"don't mind us. we were just leaving."** 1S grumbled as 2P let out something that sounded like a whimper.

"You two are not leaving." Gaster responds, then glances at Casey. The human lowered her gaze from the two skeletons floating above her head to look at him. "You have been causing quite a bit of trouble, haven't you?"

Casey didn't answer him, instead glancing back up to the two skeletons above her. "Hey, you two up there? Can you do something for me?"

 **"kinda can't…. but what?"**

"As soon as you can, run." Casey tells him. Casey walked towards Gaster and, for her first time, initiated a fight. Gaster's magic on the two souls was cut off, and the two skeletons fell.

 **"... ow."** 1S jumped up, tugging a stunned 2P to his feet and pulled him down the hall.

Gaster watched them go, then turned towards the human. "You're being quite foolish, sacrificing yourself for a couple of things."

"They're not things." Casey replied coolly. "And besides, it's the right thing to do." Looking at the four options in front of her, Casey picked one.

 _ ***Act**_

 _ **-Check**_

 _ ***Check**_

 _ **W.D. Gaster, Attk:? Def:?**_

 _ **?**_

Gaster chuckled, amused. "Well, human, let's see how good your reactions are." Bone appeared in the air around them and flew at Casey, who began trying to dodge them. She managed to get past most of them although she clipped the last one, bringing her HP down to 7.

"Heh… That the best you got?" Casey asked.

 _ ***Mercy**_

 _ **-Spare -Surrender**_

 _ **-Flee**_

 _ ***Spare**_

"You initiated a fight, yet you are sparing me?" Gaster asked.

"Just wanted to see what your reaction would be."

"Very well."

Another series of bones flew at Casey as a skull appeared above her. Ducking out of the way, Casey narrowly avoided being blasted as it struck where she had just been standing. Casey's relief faded when she hit a bone, losing four HP.

"You do realize I know what you are doing, correct?"

"What do you mean?" Casey asked, barely dodging the last bone.

"You are distracting me so the two can get away. But you efforts are futile, they will still end up back here."

 _ ***Mercy**_

 _ **-Spare -Surrender**_

 _ **-Flee**_

 _ ***Flee**_

The world faded back to color, Casey preparing to run. Before she could even take a step, her Soul reappeared and turned light blue.

Gaster lifted Casey into the air. "You will be very interesting to study." He says, walking towards the vacant cell that had held the two skeletons. "Unfortunately, the study will have to occur later, as I have two experiments on the loose."

He stopped outside of the cell, preparing to put her in before a bright light engulfed him. Startled, Gaster's magic slipped and Casey fell to the floor.

 _"COME ON, HUMAN!"_ 2P tugged Casey to her feet, trying to lead her to the door as 1S controlled the Gaster Blaster distracting the scientist. Casey scrambled to her feet, then ran with 2P towards the exit. 1S followed a second later as the bright light in the room faded away.

The trio came to the end of the hall and Casey pressed the button, opening the doors. They hurried on, Casey jabbing the up button as frantic footsteps echoed down the hall. As Gaster rounded the corner, the elevator door closed and it started moving up.

Casey breathed deeply in relief, although she didn't relax. "You two came back for me?"

 _"WELL, YOU SAVED US!"_

 **"'sides, it wouldn't have been nice ta leave ya behind, right?"**

Casey smiled. "Yeah, I guess so."

The elevator dinged as it came to a stop, the door opening. Casey grabbed a hand from both skeletons, leading the two off the elevator. She glanced around the lab, trying to formulate a plan.

 _"WHERE ARE WE GOING NOW, HUMAN?"_ 2P asked.

Casey glanced at the two as the elevator began to move behind them. She hurriedly tugged them forward, towards the door. "I think I have the perfect place in mind." She tells them, leading them out into Hotland. The duo looked around, their eyesockets wide as she led them down the path towards the boat.

"Tra la la~. I am the riverman. Or the riverwoman. It doesn't really matter." The cloaked figure hummed. 2P pressed closer to Casey, who gave the younger skeleton's hand a gentle squeeze. "Do you want to ride the boat?"

"Yes please, to Snowdin."

"Climb in~."

Casey stepped into the boat, then helped 1S climb in after her, the shorter skeleton following with little trouble. 2P stepped back, wringing his hands nervously. "Come in." Casey said gently.

 _"I-IT DOESN'T LOOK SAFE…."_

"Don't worry, you'll be fine. Plus, your brother and I will be right here with you." Casey assured him. Finally, he stepped close enough so that Casey could help him into the boat. After he sat down, the boat began to move.

The two skeletons watched the hollow in the wall that led to Hotland get farther and farther away, until it was too far away to be seen.

"Tra la la~" The riverperson hummed, gaining their attention. "Temmie Village, the room before the darkening lantern room."

 **"... temmie village?"** 1S asked.

"Yeah… It's…. Strange…" Casey tells him. "We're not going there."

 _"... HUMAN?"_ 2P said, gaining her attention. _"WHERE WE ARE GOING…. IS IT SAFE?"_

"I think so." Casey answered as the boat pulled up to the shore in Snowdin. After the boat stopped, Casey climbed out before helping the the two skeletons out. They gazed around in awe.

"Come again sometime~." The riverperson hummed.

Casey turned to the smaller skeletons. 1S had picked up a handful of snow, and was looking at it curiously. 2P looked at what his brother held.

 _"HUMAN! WHAT IS THIS STUFF?"_

"It's called snow." Casey answered, taking one of Papyrus's hands. 1S dropped the snow he held, grabbing her other hand. "Come on, let's go into town and rent a room at the inn."

 _"INN?"_ 2P asked as they started walking.

"It's a place where visitors can stay in town for as long as they need." Casey explained as they walked into town. 2P edged closer to Casey, looking around at several other monsters that were glancing at them.

 **"... there's a lot of monsters."** 1S observed.

"Yeah…" Casey said, picking up their pace. It didn't take long until they were in the inn.

"Hello! Welcome to Snowed Inn!" A cheery female rabbit behind the counter hummed. A younger rabbit was peeking over the counter, watching them. "One room is 80G! Would you like to stay the night?"

"Yes please." Casey says, letting go of 1S's hand to pull out the required amount of G, then placing it on the counter.

"Thank you! Here is your room key!" The innkeeper said cheerfully, handing it over to Casey.

"Thanks. Come on you two." She says to the skeletons, heading towards the stairs. 2P had a death grip on her other hand, while 1S seemed a bit more relaxed as he tagged along behind them; although he kept glancing around warily.

When upstairs, Casey looked over the room numbers. "No, no, no, no, no… Ah, here we are."

 _Click._

Casey ushered the two skeletons into the room before following. The room had only one big bed, but that was fine. She wasn't entirely sure if they were spending the night or not.

 **"ya know, ya never told us your name."**

"Really? Sorry, my name's Casey… Speaking of names, I think you two need some."

 _"BUT HU-CASEY THE HUMAN, WHAT WILL WE BE CALLED?"_ 2P asked.

"Hmm…" Casey went silent, trying to think. "Well, do you remember what you read back in the lab? About the fonts?" She asked 1S.

He nodded. **"yeah. comic sans and papyrus. why?"**

"Well, maybe fonts are special only to skeletons, because I never heard any other monsters mention a font of some kind. Maybe you could be called those." She rubbed 1S's skull, making him weakly strike at her hand. "You can be Sans, and you can be Papyrus. How's that?"

The two brothers glanced at each other.

 _"I LOVE IT, CASEY THE HUMAN! I AM PAPYRUS!"_


	4. A Start at Life

**_Bumbercatch:_** _Yeah, both he and Sans got their names. :) How lucky are they that the first notebook Sans picked up had that little bit of information, huh? Otherwise they'd still be trying to figure out what to call them, haha._

* * *

Casey tugged her hood further down on her head as she left Grillby's, the long sleeve of her sweatshirt covering her hand as she hurried back to the inn.

It was a week since she'd visited the lab, a week since she met the skeleton brothers. A week since their escape… A week since her life had changed forever. Upon finding out they really had no place to go, the innkeeper had let them stay for the time being, as long as Casey worked there. When she wasn't working in the inn, she worked in the store next door to earn a bit of G. The best part of the day was the evening, when she didn't have to work. She'd stay in the room with Sans and Papyrus, bringing them dinner and telling them a bedtime story.

Casey closed the door of the inn behind her, stomping the snow off her boots. She pulled off her hood with her free hand, accidentally smudging some of the flour on her face.

"Hi Casey!" The young rabbit behind the counter said happily.

"Hey there." Casey said, starting towards the stairs. "Did you three behave?"

"Yep! Papyrus and I built a snow rabbit!"

"It sounds like it was fun." Casey says with a faint smile.

"It was!"

"Good. Well, I will see you later." Casey says, then headed up the stairs. She walked down the hall to the room, opening the door and walking inside. Sans and Papyrus were snuggled together on the bed, Sans sleeping as he used his brother as a pillow while Papyrus read a book.

Shortly after arriving in Snowdin, Casey had gone out to buy them actual clothes. Sans was wearing a pair of shorts, a blue sweatshirt that was a bit too big on him, and a pair of fuzzy slippers that he seemed oddly fond of. Papyrus wore a fuzzy brown sweater, a long pair of pants, a set of red boots, and red gloves. Thankfully, Casey had been able to remove the bandages the two wore the day after they arrived, and the two looked good as new.

Prpyus looked up from his book. _"HELLO, CASEY THE HUMAN!"_

"Hi, Pap. I brought dinner, are you hungry?"

Papyrus nodded, nudging Sans. **"... mmph…"**

 _"COME ON YOU LAZYBONES! IT'S TIME TO EAT!"_

 **"i'm comin'…"** Sans mumbled, opening his eyesockets as Casey put the bag down, walking into the bathroom to wash the flour off her face. When she came out, both skeletons had situated themselves into a half circle on the floor. Grabbing the bag, Casey sat down across from them.

"Alright." She says, opening the back. She pulled out a burger and a bottle of ketchup, handing them to Sans. She then pulled out a container of fries and a bottle of water for Papyrus.

 _"THANK YOU, CASEY THE HUMAN!"_ Papyrus says happily.

"You're welcome." Casey replied, pulling out a burger for herself and beginning to eat.

 _"NO ONE RECOGNIZED THAT YOU WERE A HUMAN?"_ Papyrus asked as he ate.

"Nope. That's why I put the flour on my face, to try and look like a skeleton. And, for the moment, it's working." She answered.

Papyrus nodded, nibbling on a french fry as Sans drank from his bottle of ketchup. Honestly, Casey had no idea where that obsession had come from.

When they were finished eating, Casey gathered up the trash and threw it away.

"I'll be right back you two." She tells them, then heads out of the room.

 _"... SANS?"_

 **"yeah bro?"**

 _"DO YOU THINK WE'RE SAFE HERE?"_

 **"... i hope so, bro… i really hope so…"**

* * *

Casey paused after walking down two stairs, hearing the sound of heavy footsteps entering the inn.

"Hello! Welcome to…" The innkeeper trailed off as she noticed whoever had just walked in.

"We have been informed that there may be a human in this town. Have you seen them?"

Casey bit her lip in fear. The innkeeper and the shopkeeper were the only ones in town that knew the truth about her. Despite being freaked out at the news, they agreed to keep quiet… For the well-being of Sans and Papyrus.

"A human?" The innkeeper asked. "No, I don't think I have."

"Very well, then. If you see the human, please contact the Royal Guard." There was the sound of footsteps leaving the inn.

Casey stayed where she was on the stairs for a few minutes before slowly walking down the rest of the way. If the Royal Guard suspected she was here, she was in danger… And if the Royal Guard could track her down… Then the scientist that had hurt Sans and Papyrus could find them too.

"Casey? Do you need anything?" The innkeeper asked, sounding worried. Her voice dragged Casey out of her thoughts. Honestly, she couldn't remember her original reason for coming down here… But now…

"Can I go in the back room?" Casey asked.

"Of course!"

Casey walked into the back room, which held extra supplies for the inn. Casey found a place to sit down.

 _ ***Cell Phone**_  
 _ ***Call**_

 _ **Ring, ring… But nobody picked up.**_

 _ ***Redial**_

 _ **Ring, ring… But nobody picked up.**_

 _ ***Redial.**_

 _ **Ring, ring…**_

 _ **…...**_

"Hello? This is Toriel."


	5. Our New Chance

_**Trinity Stark:** Yeah, I do too haha. But it seems to be ending well for our two skelebros, doesn't it?_

 ** _Bumbercatch:_** _I'm glad you think so. :) Honestly, I wasn't going to post this story, my confidence in my writing is a bit shakey. Everyone seems to like it though, it makes me quite pleased. :D_

* * *

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" The innkeeper asked nervously, handing Casey several Cinnamon Bunnies. It was what could be considered as early morning in the Underground, a time when most monsters were still asleep.

"I'm positive we'll be fine." Casey answered reassuringly. "Where we're going is really safe. And you won't have to worry about the Royal Guard coming back." She adds, placing the Cinnamon Bunnies in a backpack.

"And you're taking the young skeletons with you, correct?"

"Yeah, they're coming along with me... They just don't know it yet." Casey admitted, zipping up the backpack and picking it up by the handle.

The innkeeper nodded. "Well, you better get them up. If you want to leave before the rest of the town wakes up."

Casey nodded, heading upstairs and entering the room. Sans and Papyrus were snuggled together on the bed, Sans using Papyrus as a pillow, and Pap with his arms around his brother.

Casey walked over to the bed, nudging Papyrus. "Hey, Pap?"

The taller skeleton stirred, opening his eyesockets and looking at her tiredly. _"Y-YES? WHAT IS IT?"_

"Can you wake Sans up? We'll be leaving soon." Casey says.

Papyrus gently nudged Sans off him, sitting up. _"LEAVING? WHY ARE WE LEAVING? WHERE ARE WE GOING?"_

"A friend of mine is taking us in." Casey answered. "We'll be safe there."

 _"WE'RE NOT SAFE HERE?"_

"... No, Pap… The Royal Guard was here yesterday looking for me."

 _"BECAUSE OF YOU BEING A HUMAN?"_

"Yeah… But I have everything packed in backpacks, so all we need is for Sans to wake up."

 _"ALRIGHT!"_ Papyrus gently shook Sans. _"COME ON, BROTHER! IT IS TIME FOR YOU TO WAKE UP!"_

 **"... don't wanna…."** Sans grumbled, turning over on his side.

 _"COME ON, YOU LAZYBONES! IT IS IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO GET UP THIS INSTANT!"_ Sans didn't respond, having fallen back to sleep. _"... WHAT DO WE DO NOW, CASEY?"_

"..."

It wasn't long until the three were ready to go, Casey and Papyrus both carrying a backpack as Casey held a sleeping Sans in her arms.

"Are you sure you'll be safe where you're going?" The innkeeper asked one last tume.

"Yes, we'll be fine. Thanks for letting us stay here." Casey says, carefully shifting Sans to one arm before using her now-free hand to take one of Papyrus's gloved ones.

"It was no trouble at all!" The innkeeper said, opening the door for the two.

Casey smiled up at her, leading Papyrus out. "Thanks. Maybe we'll see each other again."

"Maybe." The innkeeper responded.

 _"BYE!"_ Papyrus says, waving to the innkeeper with his free hand.

Casey led Papyrus out of the small town, heading down a familiar path that she hadn't trodden in some time… Had it really only been a little over a week since she left the Ruins?

 _"WHERE ARE WE GOING, CASEY?"_ Papyrus asked again as they walked.

"Deep in the woods, there's a place called the Ruins. It was the home of the monsters before they left, moving to New Home. Now it's nearly empty, except for a few stray monsters, and the only way in is through a door in the woods."

 _"WOWIE! IS THAT WHERE WE ARE GOING?"_

"Yes, Paps. The Ruins are quite different from Snowdin, though. Although it's a bit safer, it's a bit smaller than here, too."

 _"... IS IT AS SMALL AS THE LAB HAD BEEN?"_

"No, it's bigger than that." Casey assured him, shifting Sans around in the arm she was carrying him with. The conversation didn't seem to bother him as he slept. "And it's full of puzzles."

 _"I LOVE PUZZLES! MAYBE I CAN MAKE MY PUZZLES THERE? I HAVE PLENTY OF IDEAS!"_

Casey let out a soft laugh. "We'll see."

The walk to the Ruins didn't seem to take as long as it had when she had left them, Casey remembering how the walk felt very long. Maybe it was because this time she had Papyrus and Sans-when he woke up- to talk to instead of being by herself, who knows. Plus, having been through that area before, none of the monsters hiding in the woods had attempted to attack them. Soon, the trio was coming upon the door to the Ruins, Casey holding the hands of Sans and Papyrus.

 _"IS THAT THE DOOR, CASEY?"_ Papyrus asked.

 **"it's a big door…"** Sans added.

"Yes. This is where we wanted to go." Casey answered, letting go of Sans long enough to knock on the door before grabbing his hand again.

After a minute, the door opened to reveal Toriel behind it. Papyrus nervously edged closer to Casey.

"Casey!" Toriel says, stepping out and giving Casey a hug.

Releasing the two skeletons, Casey hugged the monster back. "Hey Tori." Papyrus shifted closer to Sans, the smaller skeleton placing himself in front of his brother.

Toriel released Casey, turning to the skeletons. "And you two must be Sans and Papyrus, correct? My name is Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins. Casey told me a lot about you two."

 **"who are you?"** Sans asked defensively.

"I am a friend of Casey's. I helped her when she first fell into the Underground."

 _"YOU HELPED CASEY?"_ Papyrus asked.

"Yes, little one." Toriel says gently, the turned around and started into the Ruins. "Come on in."

Sans and Papyrus looked uncertainly at Casey, who gave them a warm smile. Taking their hands, Casey led them into the Ruins. "It'll be just fine." She assured them.

The duo looked around as they entered, Papyrus shifting himself closer to Casey and Sans as Toriel closed and locked the door behind them.

Toriel stepped ahead of the trio, leading the way down the hall. "Casey called me yesterday to ask if she can return with you. I have a room set up for you two. However…" She glanced back at Casey. "The last room is still… Under reservations, so you might have to sleep-"

"I don't mind sleeping on the floor, I'll stay in the room with these two." Casey interrupted, nodding to the skeletons. "... Thanks."

Toriel blinked, surprised, but she nodded. "Very well, then."

When they came to a staircase, Toriel started up. Sans and Papyrus stayed back, bringing Casey to a stop.

 _"ARE YOU SURE IT'S SAFE HERE?"_

Releasing Papyrus's hand, Casey gave him a one-armed hug. "I'm positive."

Sans tugged his hand away from Casey as she released the taller skeleton. **"go on ahead."**

Casey looked at him, then nodded and headed up the stairs. When she was out of sight, Sans turned to Papyrus and held out his hand.

 **"ready bro?"**

Papyrus looked between his brother and the stairs before straightening up, taking a deep breath. He reached out, grabbing Sans's hand. _"READY, BROTHER."_

Hand-in-hand, the two headed up the stairs towards a new life.

* * *

 _ **End~**_

 _..._

 _Or is it?_


	6. Notes

**_IT'S BEEN TWO WEEKS SINCE THE HUMAN ESCAPED WITH 1S AND 2P. THERE HAD BEEN NO TRACE OF THE HUMAN LEADING THEM TOWARD ASGORE THROUGH THE HOTLANDS, SO I ASSUMED SHE WENT TO SNOWDIN WITH THE -CHILDR- ESCAPED EXPERIMENTS. THIS ASSUMPTION WAS SUPPORTED WHEN I NOTICED THE MONSTER THAT RUNS THE RIVERBOAT WAS GONE. USING THE LAB'S CAMERAS, I SET UP A WATCH ON THE TOWN. IT WAS EASIER, AS I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO HIDE IN SNOWDIN. I WOULD EASILY STAND OUT. AFTER TWO DAYS, MY PATIENCE REWARDED ME WHEN I SPOTTED THE HUMAN LEAVING THE TOWN'S INN AND HEADING TOWARD THE RESTAURANT. THE NEXT DAY, I SPOTTED 2P LEAVING THE INN WITH ANOTHER CHILD._**

 ** _DESPITE THE KNOWLEDGE THAT THE -CHILDR- EXPERIMENTS WERE HIDING IN SNOWDIN, I DECIDED TO WATCH AND SEE WHAT WAS HAPPENING. WHEN I SAW 1S AND 2P TOGETHER ON THE CAMERAS, THEY SEEMED CONVINCED THEY WERE SAFE, ALTHOUGH THOSE THINGS SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER._**

 ** _…. YET I REFUSED TO GO AFTER THEM._**

 ** _THOUGH I HAD MADE MY CHOICE WITH THEM LONG AGO, THE HUMAN SEEMED TO HAVE MADE A DECISION OF THEIR OWN. SEVERAL DAYS AFTER MY SUSPICIONS WERE CONFIRMED, THE THREE DISAPPEARED. PERHAPS THE HUMAN WAS TRYING TO AVOID THE ROYAL GUARD… OR TRYING TO KEEP THE -EXPER- CHILDREN AWAY FROM ME._**

 ** _RECORDINGS FROM THE DAY THEY DISAPPEARED SHOWED THEM LEAVING IN THE EARLY MORNING, HEADING TOWARD THE RUINS. PERHAPS THE HUMAN FOUND A WAY INSIDE._**

 ** _…. IT SEEMS I NEED TO BEGIN A NEW PROJECT._**

* * *

 _Yes, two updates in one day. ^^ But this is a short chapter (and anticipating posting the chapters is just like waiting for another one to be posted when the entire story is already typed up, haha), so I decided it would be good to put this one up now._


	7. A True End

_**Trinity Stark:** Your're welcome?_

* * *

With the help of Toriel, Casey took over the task of trying to raise the two skeleton children. Papyrus enjoyed the puzzles in the Ruins, and Sans seemed to enjoy it there as well, due to the fact that it made Papyrus happy. Not knowing the day they were created, Casey asked the two if the day she had rescued them could be their 'birthday'. Papyrus eagerly agreed as did Sans, although the latter seeming less than pleased about the idea.

On the day of their 'birthday', Casey made them a meal of spaghetti as Toriel baked a butterscotch pie. From Toriel, both skeletons received robes that were similar to the goat monster's own, although both were slightly different. Papyrus's robe was more of a reddish purple, to match the red scarf that Casey had managed to knit-with Toriel's help, of course. And, having noticed how Sans had tended to stick his hands in the pockets of his hoodie or have the hood up, Toriel had added those to Sans's robe; although it was a bit too long for him. Casey's gift to Sans was a whoopie cushion. Although the smaller skeleton had been confused about her gift at first, Casey showed him how to use it. Sans tried it out on Papyrus, making Papyrus shake his hand as he held onto it. Seeing how it made his brother collapse in laughter, Sans always kept it close by.

One day, a few years after they started living in the Ruins, Papyrus was concerned when he couldn't remember anything before the boat ride from the Hotlands to Snowdin. Sans stated the same, and Casey realized she could no longer remember where she had first met the two skeletons. Despite the gaps in their memory, Sans was able to convince Papyrus to stop worrying about it… After all, some things were better off forgotten… After that day, Casey felt like the two skeletons could safely leave the Ruins for short periods of time as long as they were supervised, though the trips soon became longer and the amount of supervision slowly decreased.

Within the time that the group lived in the Ruins, two children fell into the chasm at separate times. The first was 10 years old, the second was 13. Despite protests from both Toriel and Casey, both of the children were determined to leave the Ruins. While Sans was a bit indifferent to the children leaving, Papyrus was saddened to see his new friends leave, and they never came back.

In addition, the solution that had allowed Gaster to speed up their growth made Sans and Papyrus age faster than monsters normally would. However, as they were reaching their adult years, their aging slowed down to the natural growth of a monster. While the skeletons had begun to age slower, the same could not be said for Casey… Although aging at the normal growth rate of a human, Casey fell ill shortly before turning forty. Several days later, she passed on… Leaving behind a glowing yellow Soul.

Although Toriel was saddened with Casey's death, Papyrus and Sans were devastated at the passing on of the one they had considered their mother; although Papyrus expressed his grief more openly than Sans. Toriel carefully retrieved the gently glowing Soul, storing it in an elegantly-carved wooden box and placing it on the table between the rooms of the skeletons and Toriel. The body of Casey was buried beneath the tree in front of the house.

Despite the fact that they had grown up in the Ruins, the two skeletons no longer wanted to stay without Casey. A few weeks later, the two were packing up to return to where they had lived long ago: Snowdin. As they were preparing to leave, Papyrus carefully packed the box that contained Casey's Soul with the rest of their things. Although Toriel did not approve, in case other monsters discovered it, she made no move to stop him. Within a couple days of being ready to leave, Papyrus had found them a place to stay, and the two brothers moved to Snowdin…

 _ **...Years later….**_

Frisk had decided to spend a few days with Sans and Papyrus before they headed into Waterfall. During their platonic "date" with Papyrus, the human had been able to explore almost everything in the room… Except for a carved, wooden box on top of Papyrus's bookshelf.

When they found themselves alone in Papyrus's room, Frisk borrowed the skeleton's computer chair and moved it over to the bookshelf. Climbing onto it, the human reached up to try and grab the box, but found they were still too short. Shifting to the edge of the chair, they managed to stand on their tiptoes and grab the edges of the box. Frisk managed to tug the box off the top of the bookshelf, and started to get off the chair. However, their foot slipped, and both they and the box began falling to the floor.

 _Ping._

A blue heart appeared on Frisk's chest as a blue aura surrounded the box, catching both before they hit the ground. _"HUMAN! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?"_ Papyrus asked worriedly, hurrying closer as he held them in the air with his magic.

 ***Yeah, I'm fine.**

 _"GOOD."_ Papyrus placed Frisk feet-first on the ground and the box was placed gently on the floor. Papyrus reached down, picking up the box.

 ***Papyrus?**

 _"YES, HUMAN?"_ Papyrus asked, reaching up and placing the box back on top of the bookshelf.

 ***What's in the box?**

Papyrus went silent for a moment, lightly touching his scarf. _"... SOMETHING VERY IMPORTANT TO SANS AND I."_

Frisk looked up at the box before looking back at the skeleton, crossing their arms over their chest. That didn't really answer their question…

 _"COME ON, HUMAN! THE SPAGHETTI IS ALMOST FINISHED!"_ Papyrus says, changing the topic as he put the computer chair back in its place. He then started heading toward the door.

Frisk glanced back up at the box, swearing they could see a glow of some sort emanating from the box… With a shrug, the human turned and followed Papyrus out…

* * *

 _... Surprise? It's the end of this story. Check out_ (zarla).(deviantart).com(/art/)(Stay-as-long-as-you-want-598128875) _for a picture of the two with the robes on (IT'S TOO CUTE! X3). Thank you to everyone who read and enjoyed this story. I apologize for the chapter being so... Broad, but I was trying to compress 22 years into this final chapter. After all, other than a few major events, nothing will happen within the time they live there._

 _And while it may be the ending of the actual story, I still have a couple of one-shots to post. The one-shots are occurrences that happen during their time in the Ruins, to add onto this one._


	8. One-Shot: Door Puzzle

_While the main story is over, I did say there would be several one-shots that would be posted, didn't I? This is just one of a few that are going to be posted. They're kinda short, but... That's why they're called one-shots, isn't it? It's not long enough to make as a chapter of a story?_

 _ **Bumbercatch:**_ _Yes it was, but they were happy for a long time until the end._

 ** _17nicholasc:_** _Would Casey saving Papyrus and Sans from Gaster count as justice?_

* * *

Papyrus was happy, that much could be seen within the first week upon their arrival in the Ruins. Sans… Well, Casey thought he was. Sans wasn't much of a talker, but he seemed content. Probably because his brother was happy. Papyrus enjoyed the puzzles, doing them again and again. Toriel even allowed him into the ruins of Home to make his own puzzle, as long as he was supervised by either her or Casey. With the help of Toriel and Casey, and Sans watching, they completed the X's and O's puzzle within two months.

 _"COME ON, CASEY! TRY AND OPEN THE DOOR!"_ Papyrus said gleefully, pointing to a freeform door in the middle of the room. Toriel had refused to connect the puzzle to anything else.

"Alright, Paps." Casey says with a faint chuckle. She walked around the room, stepping onto each of the four X's in the corners of the room; turning into O's when they were stepped on. After turning all four O's, Casey stepped on a button located near the door…

… But nothing happened.

 _"... OH…"_ Papyrus said, disappointed, his shoulders slumping.

Casey walked over to the skeleton, laying a hand on his shoulder. "It's alright, kiddo. We can fix it tomorrow."

Papyrus looked at her and nodded. _"YEAH."_

"Come on, we should start heading back to the house. It's almost time for dinner." Casey released him and Papyrus grabbed her hand, then the two started back home.


	9. One-Shot: Will You Stay?

It was six months after the group had left Snowdin, six months since they started to live in the safety of the Ruins. Casey was sitting in a patch of golden flowers outside the entrance of the Ruins, gazing up at the sky through the entrance to the chasm.

 _"... CASEY?"_

Interrupted from her thoughts, Casey looked at the younger skeleton as he walked up. "Oh, hi Papyrus. What's up?"

Papyrus didn't answer as he sat down beside her, gazing up at the hole in the ceiling.

"... P-Paps? Wha-"

 _"DO YOU MISS IT?"_

The question was so sudden, all Casey could do was let out a stunned "Huh?".

 _"THE SURFACE. THAT'S WHERE YOU'RE FROM, ISN'T IT? DO YOU EVER WISH YOU COULD GO BACK THERE?"_

Casey gazed silently at him. "... Papyrus?... I won't lie to you… I do miss it sometimes." She admitted, gazing back up at the sky. "And yeah, sometimes I do want to go back there."

Papyrus remained silent as he lowered his skull, staring at the ground.

"But when I start thinking like that, I remember what I have here. You, Sans, Toriel… You're all my family now. Yes, I miss the surface, but here is my home. And I don't want to leave."

 _"... PROMISE YOU'LL NEVER LEAVE SANS AND I?"_

Casey shifted closer to Papyrus, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "I promise, Paps. I'm never going to leave you."

Papyrus leaned into Casey, relaxing a bit as the two gazed back up at the stars.

* * *

 _SO MUCH FLUFF. I like writing little moments like this between Papyrus and Casey. She really embraced the role of caring for the two skeletons._


	10. One-Shot: The Greatest Monster

_"TRY IT AGAIN, CASEY!"_ Papyrus insisted, wringing his hands slightly as he looked over his puzzle. _"I FIXED IT!"_

"Are you sure?" Casey asked gently. She had been trying to complete another of Papyrus' X's and O's puzzle, but the past three attempts had failed to lower the spike square it was connected to.

 _"I'M ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN! IT WILL WORK THIS TIME, I'M SURE OF IT!"_

"Alright then." Casey replied. She stepped on each X, six in all, and turned them into O's. She stepped on the button, but... Nothing happened.

 _"I-IT'S STILL BROKEN?"_

"I think so, Paps."

 _"I... I'M SUCH A FAILURE! I CAN'T EVEN GET MY OWN PUZZLES TO WORK!"_ Papyrus exclaimed as he stomped his foot, tears in his eyesockets.

Casey walked over to the skeleton that was almost as tall as she was and lightly placed her hands on his shoulders. "Papyrus, look at me."

Papyrus gazed at her, wiping away a few tears. Casey tended to stick to calling him a nickname, she usually didn't call him by his full name.

"Listen, Papyrus. I don't want you to _ever_ call yourself a failure, okay?"

 _"BUT CASEY-"_

"I know the puzzle won't work, but that isn't a big problem. It can easily be fixed, you just need to figure it out. But, you're not a failure, you're the greatest monster I know."

 _"T-THE G-GREATEST... MONSTER?"_ Papyrus asked, sniffling.

"Yes. You're really kind, you like to try making everyone here happy, and you always try your best to help anyone or do what you're told to do... Kind of like a superhero."

 _"A SUPERHERO?"_ Papyrus echoed.

"Yeah, a superhero." Casey says with a faint smile. "C'mon... The Great Papyrus, why don't we ask Toriel for help with fixing the puzzle?"

Papyrus took her hand and let Casey lead the way to the door. _"THE GREAT PAPYRUS? I LOVE IT, CASEY! I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS!"_


	11. One-Shot: Mother

_For a while, I had this story listed as "Complete"... Well, I changed it back to being "In Progress" because this story doesn't seem to want to let go. And honestly, I don't mind. I really liked writing this, and I was kind of sad when it "ended"._

 _Fun fact: Chapters 8 and 10 have the same amount of words each; 339. I have no clue how that happened._

 ** _Bumbercatch:_** _Originally, one wasn't planned. I figured that Sans would rather keep to himself. But... This story had a different idea, haha._

* * *

 _"CASEY?"_

Casey looked at Papyrus from where she was lying on the bed, watching the young skeleton walk into the bedroom. Despite her original plan to sleep on the floor, Sans and Papyrus tended to share a bed, leaving the second one free.

"What's the matter, Papyrus?" Casey asked, tucking a placeholder in her book and sitting up, putting it on the pillow.

 _"WHAT DOES 'MOTHER' MEAN?"_ Papyrus asked as he sat down next to her.

"Where did you hear that?"

 _"YOU CALLED TORIEL THAT TODAY."_

"... Oh." Casey responded. She and Toriel had gotten into an argument about Casey leaving the Ruins to get some things, and Casey had told Toriel "You're not my mother". Seeing the look of hurt on Toriel's face, she had immediately felt guilty and apologized. "A mother is…"

Papyrus looked at the human expectantly, fiddling with the end of his scarf as she tried to think of an answer.

"... A mother is someone who loves you no matter what, and will always be there for you. A mother will also do anything for you. At least, that's what one should be." Casey finally answered.

Papyrus went quiet for a moment, thinking over her answer. _"... LIKE YOU?"_

"Like me?" Casey asked, startled.

 _"... YEAH, LIKE YOU."_ Papyrus says firmly. _"YOU ARE WILLING TO DO ANYTHING FOR SANS AND I, LIKE STAYING HERE WITH US. AND YOU LOVE US… RIGHT?"_

Casey went silent, staring at the skeleton as she thought over what he said. Finally, she smiled fainly. "Heh… Yeah, I guess so."

 _"SO YOU'RE OUR MOTHER?"_ Papyrus asked.

"... If... If you want me to be."

Papyrus's eyesockets began to glow orange in happiness, and he hugged her tightly. _"THAT'S GREAT!"_

Sans walked into the room, his hands tucked into the pockets of his robe. He paused for a moment, looking at the scene.

 _"SANS! CASEY AGREED TO BE OUR MOTHER!"_

 **"that's great, paps."** Sans replied, his left eye beginning to glow a light blue.

Casey hugged Papyrus tightly before releasing him. "Hey, I have an idea. Let's see if we can surprise Toriel by making dinner."

Papyrus released Casey, hopping to his feet. _"YEAH! ARE WE WE GOING TO HAVE SPAGHETTI, MOTHER?"_

Casey smiled. "Yep."

Papyrus darted past Sans, heading out the door. The smaller skeleton glanced at Casey, shrugged, then followed his brother out. Casey chuckled, heading after the two.


	12. One-Shot: Looking for Stars

_I have to copy the entire story into a new notebook, I ran out of room in the old one. T.T The problems of being a writer._

 _I was thinking about what would happen after the events of this story, if you went through the Genocide Run. Casey's spirit would be there as comfort in Papyrus's last moment, then later be with Papyrus when Sans sees them after being hit._ _Casey's spirit would be able to be seen for a short time, confronting you about killing her children, and asking you to reset. You wouldn't be able to hit her, and she can't hit you. She'd fade away with the warning that nothing good is going to come from what you had done..._

 _... *Author scurries off to contemplate a Genocide One-Shot*_

* * *

Casey walked into the bedroom, spotting the skeleton she was searching for. "Hey, Sans?"

Sans looked up from the book he was reading, accidentally covering his eyesockets with the hood of his robe. **"yeah... mom?"** He asked, lifting up his hood to look at her.

"I want to show you something. Could you get changed?"

 **"changed?"** Sans asked, bookmarking his spot in the book and sitting up. **"are we leavin' the ruins? what about him?"**

"It's a long trek from the Hotlands to where we're going, and there's an easy way for us to get away if he decides to show up." Casey assured him.

The skeleton went silent for a moment, thinking it over. **"... alright."**

Casey smiled. "Good. I'll meet you at the door.

-0000-

Casey walked into Snowdin, carrying Sans on her back. The skeleton had decided halfway to town that he didn't really want to walk, so Casey had picked him up and carried him. Papyrus had stayed back at the Ruins with Toriel, planning a puzzle he wanted to surprise Casey with.

 **"so... where are we goin'?"** Sans asked as Casey entered the undersnow tunnel. He had been quiet on the trip out to town, observing the scenery. Despite the fact that it had been a little over three years since they had moved into the Ruins, it hadn't changed much.

"We're going to Waterfall. Normally I'd take the boat there, but it would take us way past where I want to go." Casey answered as she stepped out of the tunnel and continuing on toward Waterfall. As they grew closer and the amount of snow on the ground dwindled, the sound of roaring water got louder. Sans's grip tightened when Casey began to cross the top of the waterfall, avoiding the rocks that came down. "Don't worry, I won't drop you."

When they came to the puzzle with the bridge seeds, Casey gently put Sans down. Sans watched her for a moment as she began to grab the seeds, the stepped away to examine the new scenery.

When the seeds finally bloomed, Casey glanced back at the skeleton. "Come on, Sans." She says, then starts across.

 **"comin'."** Sans followed the human into the next room. Spotting the clusters of glowing mushrooms, he knelt down beside one as Casey began to solve the second bridge puzzle. Sans gently touched the top of the mushrooms, starting when their light went out.

Casey glanced at him, smiling faintly. "Those are mushrooms. There are a lot of them that grow here."

 **"do they all glow?"**

"Yes, they do."

Sans nodded and stood, gazing down at the darkened mushrooms. **"how much farther?"**

"Not that far." Casey answered as she finished the bridge, watching the seeds bloom. "It's actually the next room, The Wishing Room."

 **"the wishing room?"** Sans echoed, falling in step behind Casey as he followed her across the bridge.

"Yeah. I really think you'll like it." Casey says, walking through the doorway. The sound of rushing water faded away; the only sound that could be heard was the echoing of their footsteps, and the whispering voices of the Echo Flowers. The only light in the room came from the soft glow of the flowers, and the shining crystals in the ceiling.

Sans gazed around in wonder, stepping past Casey and walking further into the room, making Casey smile faintly. **"what is this?"**

"Before being trapped underground, monsters would make wishes on the stars in the sky." Casey tells him, trying to remember what she had read when she had first passed through Waterfall. "After they were trapped, they began to wish on the crystals scattered here in the ceiling."

 **"... the humans sure hurt the monsters a lot, huh?"**

Casey's smiled faded. "Yeah, I guess so..." She says softly, sadness in her voice.

Sans looked away from an Echo Flower, turning toward her. **"... not all humans are bad. like you, mom. ya rescued us."**

Casey let out a weak chuckle. "That's because it wouldn't have been right for me to leave you there... But I suppose you are right."

Sans looked back up at the sparkling crystals on the ceiling.

"... You know what? When we get back to the Ruins, we can wait for night to fall. Then we can try and see if we can find any stars through the hole in the chasm."

 **"alright."**

-0000-

Casey led the way through the Ruins, carrying an old-fashioned candle lantern and a blanket. Sans was walking beside her as Papyrus lagged behind them, rubbing his eyesockets sleepily. Although they had invited Toriel to join them, the goat monster had refused and stayed home.

 _"WHAT DOES A STAR LOOK LIKE?"_ Papyrus asked as they entered the chasm.

"It looks like a small ball of light." Casey answered as they wallked up to the patch of golden flowers. Handing Sans the lamp, Casey ley the blanket out besode the patch, then took the lamp back from Sans. After the trio sat on the blanket, Casey blew out the candle and placed the lamp on the ground off the blanket behind them. The only light in the chasm came from the hole above as it filtered in moonlight. Casey lay down flat, and the other two followed her lead.

 _"HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE FOR US TO SEE THE STARS?"_

"I don't know. We'll see one when it decides to show itself."

 _"KIND OF LIKE HIDE-AND-SEEK?'_

"Yeah, kind of."

 _"... WHAT IS A STAR?"_

"Technically, it's a large ball of gasses... But, some people believe that a star is the Soul of someone you loved that is gone, and that the star is their way of watching over you."

 **"is that what you believe?"**

"... I like to think that."

 _"... MOTHER! I THINK I SEE ONE!"_ Papyrus pointed a gloved hand toward the hole, pointing to a small white light that had appeared.

"Yes, that's a star. There's another one right there."

 **"an' there's another."**

-0000-

Toriel found the group all snuggled together when she went to tend to the flowers early the next morning, still laying underneath the sky on the blanket.

* * *

 _Originally, this was just supposed to be a fluff moment between Sans and Casey. Then the thought of all three snuggled together as they looked for stars came to mind and it was too cute to pass up._


	13. The Purple Heart

_Papyrus: HELLO, HUMANS! I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS! THE AUTHOR IS, FOR SOME ODD REASON, CURRENTLY HIDING FROM MY BROTHER. HOWEVER, SHE DID REQUEST I TELL YOU ABOUT THE POLL ON HER PROFILE THAT SHE IS DOING FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF CHAPTERS! I'M NOT ENTIRELY SURE WHAT IT IS ABOUT, AS SHE REFUSED TO TELL ME, BUT I PROMISED I'D DO MY BEST! WELL, HUMANS! I WILL NOW ALLOW YOU TO READ THIS CHAPTER!_

* * *

Living in the Ruins, it wasn't often that anything new happened. Despite this, Sans and Papyrus weren't bothered. Sans often spent his time reading any books that either Toriel had or that Casey had gotten him from the Librarby, or picking up some puns from Toriel. Papyrus seemed to find joy in everything, entertaining himself no matter who he was with. His favorite things to do where to make Sans or Casey do his puzzles, or help Casey out with making spaghetti.

One day, however, was very different from a normal day.

Casey, Papyrus, and Sans were fixing up leaves in the room near the monster candy (Papyrus had taken one after getting the okay from Casey). Well, Papyrus and Casey were. Sans was just watching. Toriel had passed shortly before, heading to water the flowers near where Casey had fallen.

"Children, may you come in here?" Her voice asked from the previous room.

"Of course! Come on, kiddos." Casey says to Sans and Papyrus, leaning her rake on the wall. Papyrus did the same, then the two skeletons followed the girl into the next room.

Toriel was facing the doorway, watching the three walk in. "Children, I want you to meet someone. This is Oakley." She says, stepping to the side. There was a ten-year-old standing behind her, trembling a little. They were wearing a pair glasses that were crooked on their face, and were tightly clutching a notebook to their chest.

 _"WOWIE! IS THAT ANOTHER HUMAN?"_ Papyrus asked cheerfully, making the child flinch and grab onto Toriel's robe with one hand.

 **"i think ya scared them, paps."**

Casey stepped forward, kneeling down in front of the kid. "Hi Oakley, I'm Casey. Behind me is Sans and Papyrus."

"H-Hi…" The child said nervously, looking from her to the skeletons, then back.

"I know being down here is a bit scary, but you'll be fine. They won't hurt you." She says gently, making the child nod slowly and fix their glasses.

Toriel lightly tugged Oakley's hand off her robe. "I need to go get some things. Casey, Sans, and Papyrus will escort you through the Ruins."

Oakley watched as the goat monster left, then turned to their three guides. "Y-You're guiding me?"

 _"YES, HUMAN!"_ Papyrus chimed in gleefully, making the human flinch. _"WE'RE GOING TO ESCORT YOU TO OUR HOME!"_

"Hey Paps, why don't you and Sans lead the way?" Casey asked gently, noticing Oakley's nervousness around the skeletons.

 _"THAT'S A GREAT IDEA, MOTHER! WE CAN LEAD THE HUMAN SAFELY AROUND THE TRAPS!"_ Papyrus says, hurrying through the door. Sans followed closely behind him.

Casey held her hand out to Oakley, who took swiftly took it. "M-Mother? Did the skeleton just call you its mom?"

Casey let out a faint laugh, leading the child to the doorway. "Yes, he did. I adopted them nearly eight years ago, shortly after I fell down here."

"You fell down too?" Oakley asked, surprised.

"Yes, I did. I found them, I think they were homeless, so I brought them back here… And I've been here with them since."

Oakley looked around as they stepped into the room the trio had been in earlier. Sans and Papyrus were nowhere in sight. "I-Is there a way out of here?"

"Well… Yeah. But it's not safe for humans outside of the Ruins." Casey answered, bringing Oakley onto a detour for a piece of Monster Candy before heading to the next room. Papyrus and Sans were standing on the edges of the cracks in the floor.

 _"YOU'RE HERE!_ " Papyrus says happily.

"Yes we are. I stopped to get Oakley a piece of Monster Candy." Casey replied as Oakley nodded hesitantly.

Papyrus looked at Oakley. _"THIS IS A PUZZLE, HUMAN! THE FIRST OF MANY THAT YOU WILL COME ACROSS WITH US!"_

"G-Great…" Oakley says, clutching their notebook and Casey's hand tighter.

 _"WHEN YOU STEP ON ONE OF THESE CRACKS, YOU WILL FALL THROUGH THE FLOOR INTO ANOTHER ROOM! BUT DON'T WORRY, YOU WON'T GET HURT BECAUSE YOU LAND ON A PILE OF LEAVES!"_ Papyrus continued.

 **"and there's no way around the cracks."** Sans added, making Oakley look nervously at the floor.

"There will also be a way back up, through a small hole in the wall. There's a hidden ladder there." Casey said assuringly.

Demonstrating, Papyrus stepped onto one of the cracked areas. A minute later, he climbed through a window in the wall. _"SEE, HUMAN! IT'S QUITE EASY TO COMPLETE!"_ He says reassuringly as Sans stepped through the same hole.

"Come on, I'll go with you." Casey said gently, leading the child toward the holes. Oakley hesitated, so Casey picked them up and stepped through. Casey landed on her bottom, Oakley ending up in her lap. "See, it wasn't that bad."

"I… I guess not…" Oakley said quietly, standing up. Casey followed, brushing some leaves off her robe and leading the child over to the window on the side of the wall.

"This is where we will get back up." Casey says, releasing Oakley's hand. Oakley tucked their notebook closer to them before starting to climb the ladder. Casey followed behind them, and they shortly joined Papyrus and Sans at the top.

The group continued through the Ruins, showing Oakley around the place they called home as they made their way back to the house, Casey buying a spider cider for Oakley because they were curious about it. They met Napstablook along the way, although the ghost only stayed for a short time after being found.

Finally, they walked up to the house. "Welcome to Home." Casey says to the child as Papyrus raced into the house, Sans tagging along behind him.

"Home?"

Casey let out a faint laugh. "Yeah, that's what it's called. As strange as the name is… It's fitting. This is where you'll be staying with us."

"Staying?" Oakley asked, looking up at her. "Can't I go home?"

Casey looked down at her sadly. "Unfortunately, while there is a way out of the Ruins, there is no real way out of the Underground…" She led Oakley in, releasing their hand. "Feel free to explore… Just don't go down into the basement, okay?"

Oakley looked up at her. "Alright." They reply, then wander off to explore the rest of the house.

-0000-

Casey had searched the house for the past five minutes, but she couldn't find either Toriel or Oakley anywhere. She paused for a minute at the top of the stairs, looking down toward the basement. Finally, she made her way down the stairs, walking down the hall.

"Please… Go upstairs." Toriel's voice echoed down the hallway. Casey lifted her robe as she picked up her pace, hurrying down the hall.

"I want to leave." Oakley tells her.

Casey rounded the corner and slowed her pace as she walked up. "Oakley?"

The child turned to her, fixing their glasses as they held their notebook tighter. "I… I want to go home."

"It's not safe out there." Casey warned them. "It's safer in here, you could get… Hurt out there."

"You might not care about going back, but I want to go home!" Oakley snapped, making on of Casey's hands go to her mouth. "I want to see my family, even if you don't want to go back to yours!"

"Casey…" Toriel says gently. "They would be unhappy trapped down here, the Ruins can feel very small to some people… Our expectations, our fears… We must put them aside for the child."

"Tori-" Casey replied weakly, but Toriel ignored her and stepped forward, kneeling down and hugging Oakley.

"If you truly wish to leave the Ruins… We will not stop you." She released the child, standing up again. "However, when you go… Please do not come back." Toriel started back down the hall, heading toward the stairs. She paused for a moment, glancing back at Oakley, then continued on.

Oakley looked at Casey, almost daring the older girl to say something. Casey gazed at Oakley for a moment. "Just because I haven't returned home, doesn't mean I don't miss them. I just decided to stay here." She stated, then turned and headed back toward the stairs.

Oakley watched her go, then turned and headed out the door.

* * *

 _*Sans appears, holding the struggling author in his magic* **what did ya say ya were thinkin' about?**_

 _Papyrus: SANS! LET THE AUTHOR GO! SHE HAS A REVIEW TO ANSWER!_

 _Sans: **... fine. for now.** *He releases the author*_

 _Thank goodness. Note to self: Do NOT try to hide from Sans, he will find you._

 ** _iamdaraptor:_** _I was going to reply to you another way, but you had posted an anonymous review. Tibia-honest, you're actually one of the only ones that asked any questions at all._

 _1-Gaster's "new project" was a hint to starting his project on The Void and the Core. 2-I'm not entirely sure what Sans remembering everything during a Genocide Run will do to change anything. Either way, he'd probably still end up as a judge. 3- While he did feel guilty, he took Casey as a way to relieve some of it. That's why he never went after them, hence his comment on "the human making their own decision"._

 _4-No, they do not know, Gaster would not have told them. Even if Alphys discovered the records on these experiments in the True Lab, she can not read Wing Ding, so she would not know what was happening. 5- Casey is the second Justice Soul to have fallen. She would've been the sixth Soul if Undyne had managed to catch her._

 _7- The "Under Renovations" sign in the room at the end of the hall is from the game, shutting off the room Toriel and Asgore had shared. 8-Gaster at this point will not be back, he has fallen into the Core at this point in time._ _9- This fic is not technically "cannon". After this fic, she would remember them, but this is only something I wrote. 10- :X :X :X_

 _... Should I run now?_

 _Sans: **you've got a five second head start.**_

 _Alright. *The author ran away*_


	14. One-Shot: Field Trip

**_Bumbercatch:_** _No, they are not. Oakley, the Puple Soul, is the only one._

* * *

 _"WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO NOW, MOTHER?"_ Papyrus asked as he and Sans tagged behind the human, leaving Snowdin as they headed into Waterfall.

"I'm going to show you the rest of the Underground." Casey answered as she walked, glancing back at the skeleton. He was now taller than she was, with Sans similar to her in height.

 **"are we goin' t' the wishing room?"**

"Yes, we are. And we're going to go beyond that." Casey replied. When they got to the bridge puzzles, Papyrus helped her with solving them. The trio walked into the Wishing Room, hearing the rushing water fade away.

 _"WOWIE!"_ Papyrus says as he looks around, amazed. _"THESE ARE VERY ODD FLOWERS!"_

"Those are Echo Flowers. They repeat the last thing they heard over and over again. If you're really quiet when you walk up to one, you can hear it."

Papyrus glanced at Casey, then carefully walled up to one of the flowers and lowered his skull to try and listen. Hearing the whispering, he jumped back. "WOWIE! YOU WERE RIGHT!"

Casey smiled, then headed further into the room. Sans and Papyrus followed her. "Some of Waterfall is a museum, with plaques on the wall detailing the war between monsters and humans."

"Cool."

 _"WHY WAS THERE A WAR?"_ Papyrus asked.

Casey went silent for a moment, folding her hands. "... I think it was because they were scared." She finally says as they start down the long hall, the glowing plaques lighting their way.

 _"OF WHAT?"_

"Monsters have the ability to take a human's Soul, even though it requires a lot of magic. Humans were scared of this power..."

 _"WHY DIDN'T THE HUMANS TELL THE MONSTERS THIS? WOULDN'T THIS HAVE AVOIDED THE WAR?"_

Casey glanced at Papyrus. "That makes a lot of sense, doesn't it?... But people can do foolish things when they're scared."

 _"AS FOOLISH AS STARTING A WAR?"_

Casey smiled a little. "Yes. As foolish as starting a war."

The group continued walking through the Underground for a few hours, finally turning around before they reached the Hotlands. Thankfully, Undyne didn't seem to be around anywhere. On the way home, they found the small sprout of an Echo Plant. After getting badgered by Papyrus, Casey carefully dug it up and they carefully carried it Home.


	15. One-Shot: You're an Idiot

_"What are you doing down here?"_ Casey jumped, startled as she gazed up from her book and looked around. She even glanced up at the hole, trying to figure out who was speaking. _"DOWN HERE YOU IDIOT!"_

Casey looked down and found herself staring at a flower... That had a face on it. "H-Hello?"

 _"Howdy. Now ANSWER MY QUESTION. Why are you still here?"_ It... No, he asked. The flower sounded male.

"What do you mean? Still here in the Ruins?" Casey asked, deciding not to question how a flower was talking to her. After all, she didn't go completely into the Underground.

 _"OF COURSE! Why haven't you tried to leave again?"_ The flower pressed.

"Well... I'm needed here." Casey answered, marking her page and closing the book. "What's your name?"

 _"My name? Flowey. Now why do you think you're needed here? You're a human, aren't you?"_

"... Well, I'm certainly not a monster." Casey replied. "Besides, Sans and Papyrus need me around. Yes, they're old enough to take care of themselves... But they'd miss me if I was gone. Besides, there is no way through the barrier."

 _"You're really an IDIOT, aren't you? They don't need you around."_ Flowey retorted with a snicker. _"And besides, there IS a way out of the barrier. All you need to do is KILL someone. After all, in this world, it's KILL or BE KILLED."_

"You're wrong. Besides, I won't kill anyone."

 _"What about the child that you let go out into the Underground? You killed them."_

Casey's breath caught in her throat and she let out a cough. "Oakley... Oakley is strong. I'm sure they'll... They'll be okay." She replied weakly. "I-I didn't..."

Flowey laughed. _"You know as well as I do that you're lying. You KNOW they're going to die out there, and you DID NOTHING TO STOP THEM? I thought you said you wouldn't kill anyone?"_

Casey abruptly stood. "It was nice meeting you, Flowey." She said flatly, then hurried toward the entrance of the Ruins.

 _"YOU'RE SUCH AN IDIOT. You know you can't run away from this."_

Casey kept walking, not responding.


	16. The Past Haunts You

_Believe it or not, I finally managed to plan an ending for this story. There's three chapters remaining-four if I include the Genocide chapter. Sadly, this story will be coming to end shortly. :(_

 _The poll for the Genocide Run chapter is still up on my profile!_

* * *

Casey walked into Gerson's shop in Waterfall, straightening her hood. While she technically didn't need to come out to Waterfall to buy anything, she liked the Sea Tea.

"Wha ha ha! Whoa there kid." Gerson says when he spots her walking in.

"Hi there, Gerson." Casey replied, walking over to the older turtle.

"What are you looking for?" He asked.

"A couple of Sea Teas, please." Casey asked. As Gerson handed her one of the sealed glasses, Casey glanced down at the other items he had for sale. Two objects she spotted made her grip loosen, the glass falling to the floor and shattering. A pair of glasses and a slightly torn notebook. _Oakley's items._

"Whoa! What's the matter with you?" Gerson asked, startled. "... You need to pay for that."

"Gerson… Where did you get those?" Casey asked slowly, motioning to the two items.

"Wha-? I found them… Somewhere." He says, his one good eye narrowing. "I don't exactly remember. I found them and took them to sell. Why? Do you want them?"

"N-No… I… I was just wondering..."

Gerson blinked his good eye, narrowing it at her. "If you're sure… Do you still want a Sea Tea?"

"Y-Yeah, two please… And I-I'll pay for the one I dropped."

Gerson handed over two more glasses before Casey gave him 54G. She picked them up, carefully tucking them in her pack. She picked her bag up by the handle and started toward the door.

"Wha ha ha! See you again!"

"See you later…" Casey stepped out of the shop and stepped to the side, leaning against the wall and sliding down, her heart heavy with guilt. "Oakley's dead… We… We killed them…"

Casey sat against the wall for a couple of minutes, her pack leaning against her leg and her face buried in her hands. Finally, she slowly started to stand, numbly brushing herself off before grabbing her pack. Although a feeling of guilt hung over her... She knew there was nothing she could do now… She had desperately tried to convince them to stay, but Oakley had refused to listen.

 _But you could've gone with them._

"N-No… I-I had to stay… Sans and Papyrus needed me." Casey told herself as she started down toward the boat. "I-I…" She trailed off, any excuse she could come up with sounding hollow to her. _Oakley's blood was on her hands._

"Tra la la~." The riverperson hummed as Casey walked up. "Would you like a ride in the boat?"

"Yes please. I'd like to go to Snowdin." Casey said, glancing at the face the boat had as she climbed in, grabbing the edges of the boat.

The boat lifted up over the water and began to run across the top, making Casey's grip on the edges tighter.

"Tra la la~. The waters are wild today. That's bad luck."

Casey remained silent as they came to the Snowdin dock area, and the boat settled down into the water.

"Come again, tra la la~." The riverperson hummed as Casey stood and stepped off the boat.

"Have a good day." She tells the riverperson, then starting back to the Ruins in complete silence.

* * *

Toriel, Sans, and Papyrus noticed right away that Casey wasn't acting like her usual self. She was a bit sullen and withdrawn, even turning down a chance to see Papyrus's newest puzzle he was working on. The group watched Casey enter the bedroom shortly after dinner.

 _"... BROTHER…"_ Papyrus started, playing with the edge of his scarf. _"SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH MOTHER…"_

 **"maybe she's just tired?"** Sans offered.

"N-NO… I THINK SHE'S… SAD."

Sans glanced at the bedroom door, then to Toriel. **"why don't you go with tori to pick out a flower? i think mom would like it."**

 _"YES! A FLOWER WOULD CERTAINLY CHEER HER UP!"_ Papyrus exclaimed gleefully, turning to Toriel. _"MAY WE GO TO RETRIEVE THE FLOWER NOW?"_

Toriel looked at Sans, then nodded. "Yes, we can go now. Come, young one." Taking Papyrus's hand, she led him out of the house. After they had left, Sans went into the bedroom and found Casey sitting on her bed with her head in her hands.

Sans walked over, sitting on the bed beside her. **"... somethin' wrong?"** He asked, although he knew it was a stupid question. He went silent as Casey let out a shuddering breath, not saying anything. It took a minute for her to respond, though her voice was almost to quiet to hear when she finally did.

"Oakley… Oakley is dead…"

Sans's eyesockets widened. **"dead? how d'ya know?"**

"I-I saw their eyeglasses and n-notebook at Gerson's sh-shop…" Casey answered, then started to quietly sob. "W-We… I-I killed them, Sans. Wh-Why did I l-let them go out on th-their own? I-I should've gone with them, t-to make sure-"

 **"h-hey, don't blame yourself."** Sans said, hugging Casey as his left eyesocket began to glow a gentle blue to try and calm her down. **"how... how could ya know-"**

"I-I knew the Underground was dangerous, w-with Undyne gathering human Souls! I-I should've gone with them…"

 **"you were needed here. paps, he… we need ya here."**

"I-I… I know, but-"

 **"but nothin'."** Sans replied firmly. **"what if you had been caught with them? you would've never come back… an' paps an' i woulda been upset."**

Casey slowly began to settle down, brushing away a few tears. "Y-Yes, I know…"

 **"'sides, ya tried your best to keep them here. oakley left of their own accord… it isn't your fault."**

Casey let out a shuddering sigh, her shoulders drooping a little. "I…. I suppose you're right…"

Sans hugged Casey tighter, and Casey hugged him back. **"everything will be fine."**

"I guess so..."

Papyrus opened the door, hurrying in with a potted flower in his hands, and Toriel following him in. _"LOOK, MOTHER! TORIEL AND I HAVE BROUGHT YOU A FLOWER! YOU CAN BE HAPPY NOW!"_

Casey smiled and let out a faint laugh, releasing Sans before she carefully took the flower from Papyrus. "Thanks, Paps. I'm feeling much better."

 _"THAT'S GREAT, MOTHER!"_ Papyrus exclaimed gleefully as Casey stood, placing the pot on top of the dresser. _"I'M GLAD YOU ARE FEELING BETTER!"_

Casey glanced at Sans, taking a deep breath and releasing it shakily. "Yeah… Me too."


	17. A Broken Promise

_The poll for the Genocide Run chapter is still up on my profile!_

* * *

It was hard to believe twenty-two years had passed since the trio had moved into the Ruins. Casey was now thirty-nine years old. Sans and Papyrus, while technically in their late twenties or early thirties in human years, were still in their late teens in monster years. Sans was now as tall as Casey, and Papyrus was just a few inches short of a few inches short of being as tall as Toriel.

The two skeletons tended to leave the Ruins for a few hours a day, off to do their own things. Sans tended to head to Grillby's, he and the fire elemental quickly becoming good friends. Papyrus was training to be in the Royal Guard with the belief that they helped humans that fell into the Underground, and Casey hadn't the heart to tell him otherwise.

It was over a period of a few weeks that Casey noticed something was wrong. She began to feel weak, it was harder for her to do things she normally did, and she began having trouble breathing. It didn't take very long for the others to realize something was wrong with Casey, despite her protests that she was fine. Over time, breathing became even harder, and she began to have sharp pains in her chest. About five months later, halfway into the year, Casey collapsed while helping Papyrus with another one of his puzzles.

Papyrus, panicking, gathered the human up into his arms and bolted to the house. _"LADY TORIEL! MOTHER HAS COLLAPSED!"_

Toriel looked at Casey, shocked. "Hurry, let's bring her to the bedroom." She says, hurrying toward the hall and opening the door. Papyrus strode in, hugging Casey close before gently laying her on her bed. He then stepped out of the way to allow Toriel a chance to step closer. "Casey?"

The woman stirred, slowly opening her eyes. "H-Hey..." She said weakly.

 _"HOW ARE YOU FEELING, MOTHER?"_ Papyrus asked, wringing his gloved hands nervously.

"I-I f-feel... Like my lungs are on fire." Casey admitted, coughing. "O-Ow..."

Toriel gently placed a hand on Casey's shoulder. "I will be right back." She assures them, then hurries out of the room.

The second the goat monster had left the room, Papyrus grabbed a chair and placed it by the bed. He gingerly covered Casey with a blanket, then sat down next to her and grabbed her hand. _"I WILL STAY HERE WITH YOU, MOTHER. UNTIL YOU GET BETTER."_

Papyrus-and Sans when he returned from Grillby's-stayed with her for the next couple of days that Casey was bedridden. Sans told Casey jokes that he had either learned from Toriel or read from a joke book, which Papyrus put up with despite the fact he didn't like them. Papyrus would read a storybook to her, remembering how Casey had done the same with them when they were younger. Toriel popped into the room every couple of hours each day to check on her, unable to do anything to heal Casey.

After less than a week, Casey turned her head slowly to look at the two skeletons. "P-Paps? S-Sans?" She asked, her breathing labored as she felt like a weight was crushing her chest.

 _"YES, MOTHER?"_ Papyrus asked as Sans looked at her, from his spot on the skeleton's bed.

"Y-You t-two know... I... I l-love you, right?"

 _"OF COURSE WE KNOW, MOTHER!"_ Papyrus stated as Sans stood, his slippered feet making no sound as he walked over to Casey's bedside.

 **"mom? what's wrong?"**

Casey took a deep, labored breath. "I-I j... just wanted t-to be sure... I-I... Might b-be leaving s-soon..."

 _"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, MOTHER? YOU ARE IN NO STATE TO WALK ANYWHERE! ALSO, YOU PROMISED THAT YOU WOULD NOT LEAVE SANS AND I!"_

"I-I know, Paps... I-I'm s-sorry..." Casey took one last labored breath, closing her eyes.

 _"... ARE... ARE YOU TIRED, MOTHER? ARE YOU TAKING A NAP?"_ Papyrus asked uncertainly, but received no response. The two skeleton's eyesockets widened in shock as they watched Casey's Soul leave her body, the yellow heart hovering over her chest. Papyrus darted to his feet, racing out of the room. _"LADY TORIEL!"_

Sans looked quietly as the still form, slipping his hood over his head as he closed his eyesockets, a tear slipping out of his left eyesocket.

 _You promised you wouldn't leave..._

 _You promised you wouldn't..._

 _You promised..._

 _You..._

Sans tucked his hands deep into the pockets of his robe. **"... i guess ya broke your promise..."** He murmured sadly.


	18. One-Shot: Our New Home

_The poll for the Genocide Run chapter is now closed._

* * *

Papyrus strode through the snow as he led the way through Snowdin, carrying a small box in his arms as he carried two more with his magic. Sans tagged along behind his brother, using his magic to carry a fourth box. The two stopped out a house on the main road, in the middle of Snowdin.

The house was quite a bit rundown, not having been lived in for a few years. Two shudders were hanging off a broken window, the front door was hanging off its bottom hinge, some paint was peeling, and there was a hole in the roof. The shed located next to the house was in a similar state.

 **"it's quite a bit of a mess, huh?"** Sans asked.

 _"JUST A BIT."_ Papyrus replied, walking up the two steps to the front door and lightly nudging it open. _"BUT IT SHOULD BE AN EASY FIX."_ He adds, walking into the house.

 **"if ya say so, bro."** Sans said, following his brother in. The house lacked any furniture, and there was a dusting of snow covering the floor that had blown in from the hole in the roof. The stairs looked like they were sagging in on themselves, and the wallpaper and paint in certain places was peeling off the wall. Papyrus dragged a boot in the snow, clearing out a space big enough to put the two boxes his magic carried onto the floor. Sans added the one he carried onto the pile, then Papyrus gently added the smaller box on top.

The taller skeleton then turned and walked out of the house, heading into the shed. He carefully went in, trying to see if he could find anything useful. Thankfully, it still held quite a bit of useful tools. Grabbing some tools and tucking them into his inventory, Papyrus walked back to the house. Sans was standing at the bottom of the stairwell, gazing up.

 _"DO NOT TRY CLIMBING THOSE YET, BROTHER."_ Papyrus warned. _"THEY DO NOT SEEM SAFE TO CLIMB."_

 **"i wasn't goin' t' try."** Sans responded, turning to the taller skeleton. He watched Papyrus take the tools out of his inventory, setting them onto one of the boxes before grabbing a few. He then started to fix the door hinge. **"... what d'ya want me t' do?"**

 _"IF YOU ARE OFFERING TO HELP, I WILL PAUSE LONG ENOUGH TO ALLOW YOU ACCESS THROUGH THE DOOR. THEN YOU CAN FIX THE SHUTTERS OUTSIDE."_

Sans stepped forward, grabbing a few tools he'd need. **"don't worry about it, pap. i know a shortcut."**

 _"WHAT DO YOU MEAN?"_ Papyrus asked, glancing back at Sans. At least, where he _had_ been. The shorter skeleton was gone, much to Papyrus's confusion and worry. _"S-SANS?"_

 **"don't worry, bro."** Sans called through the broken window. **"i'm already outside."**

Papyrus paused in fixing the hinge, staring at the window for a moment. Deciding he was going to ask Sans about it later, he turned and continued fixing the door.

* * *

That night, Sans and Papyrus took shelter in the kitchen to sleep. It was the only place on the bottom floor not covered in snow. The two were snuggled together under a bundle of blankets, using a flashlight to read _Peek-A-Boo with Fluffy Bunny_.

 _"... SANS?"_ Papyrus started, interrupting their storytelling.

Sans paused, the white pinpricks in his eyesockets glancing at his brother. **"yeah bro?"**

Papyrus looked quietly at the box that contained Casey's Soul, sitting on the counter nearby. _"... DO YOU THINK MOTHER WOULD BE HAPPY WE ARE HERE?"_

Sans went quiet, then placed the book down and gave Papyrus a hug. **"yeah, bro. she would. she was talkin' to me once about how she wanted t' buy this place... she thought it'd be a nice place for us t' live... she just never got t' do it. but she'd be happy we're here."**

* * *

Within a week of moving in, Papyrus was able to finish repairing the hole in the ceiling and the stairs. Pleased with his work, he cleared away the leftover snow before dragging Sans out to choose paint colors and to buy furniture.


	19. One-Shot: Genocide Encounter

Papyrus stood in the middle of the path leading out of Snowdin, snow mixed with gray dust swirling around him. His scarf flew behind him as the skeleton held his trembling arms wide, holding them out to the human that was approaching. _"ARE YOU COMING TO GIVE ME A HUG OF ACCEPTANCE? WOWIE! IT SEEMS LIKE MY ADVICE IS ALREADY WORKING!"_

The child stepped forward, initiating a battle. _Papyrus is sparing you..._ The figure took one more step closer to the skeleton, watching his arms tremble. As the human came closer, Papyrus knelt down, aiming to give the child a hug.

 _Slash._

Papyrus's eyesockets widened in surprise as the knife came out of nowhere, cutting his neck and causing his skull to fall to the ground. As his body crumbled into dust, Papyrus tried to speak. _"C-COME ON. Y-YOU COULD DO... CAN B-BE BETTER THAN THAT."_

The human raised their foot, and his skull closed his eyesockets. As Papyrus awaited what was to come, a feeling of comfort surrounded him as he heard a voice that he had not heard in years. "Don't worry... Everything will be alright..."

A moment later, the child's foot came down and crumbled the skull into dust.

* * *

Sans dodged another swipe from the knife, his chest heaving as he tried to suck oxygen into his nonexistent lungs. Bringing his left arm up, he grabbed a hold of the child's Soul and threw them away from him. They stood and dove to the side as their Soul was released, barely dodging a group of bones shooting up from the floor. Sans had already killed the human too many times to count, but they kept coming back; refreshed with every restart they made. Sans himself was growing tired, both he and the human knew that he would soon be unable to keep fighting them.

As the human took a step toward him, Sans shot them a grin. Wiping some sweat off his skull, the skeleton took a couple of deep breath. Settling down his breathing, he adjusted the red scarf around his neck before tucking his hand back into his pocket. " **"Alright, kid. Do you wanna see my special attack?"** The human tensed up, preparing to dodge anything Sans might throw at them. **"Go ahead, try to attack me."** The human hesitated then tried to step forward, and found themselves unable to. **"Heh... Nothing. That's my special attack. One of these turns, you're going to hit me. So... My turn's never going to end, even if it means we're stuck here."** The human glowered at the skeleton, who let out a chuckle as his chest heaved from exhaustion. Despite knowing he needed to stay awake, Sans's body turned against him, and the skeleton soon dozed off.

Taking the chance, the human slowly made their way forward by sliding their feet over the ground, moving an inch or two at a time. When they were finally close enough to Sans to attack, they swiped the knife at him. Sans sidestepped, opening his eyesockets. **"Did ya really thi-"**

 _Slash._

Sans's eyesockets widened in surprise as the human turned to follow his sidestep, attacking again. The knife cut a diagnal across Sans's ribs and the skeleton stumbled back a step, a red liquid beginning to seep out of his wound. Sans closed his eyesockets, lowering his head. **"... heh... Welp."** He opened his eyesockets, lifting his skull as he gave the human a lazy grin. **"I'm headin' to Grillby's."** The child stepped aside as Sans walked by them. After a couple of steps, the skeleton dropped to his knees.

Sans closed his eyesockets when he stumbled, pain that centered from his wound echoing through his body. He reached deep into his pocket, pulling out a glowing yellow heart and holdng it close to him. **"... heh..."** He opened his eyesockets and looked up to see Papyrus and Casey standing over him. A peaceful calm came over Sans and he smiled. **"hey, papyrus... mom... do you... want anything?"** He closed his eyesockets again, lowering his skull as his body crumbled to dust.

The human, having started to walk toward the door shortly after Sans had gone past them, froze when they heard "mom" in Sans's last remark. They turned slightly, but all they saw was the red scarf and blue sweatshirt covering a pile of dust. They didn't notice the Soul, it being covered by the sweatshirt and the scarf. With an indifferent shrug, the human turned and continued down the Last Corridor.

As they came closer to the door, someone stepped through. The child froze, watching the older girl stop in the middle of the doorway as she folded her hands behind her back. The girl was wearing a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt, and she gazed quietly at the child in front of her.

 ***Who are you?** They asked, tightening their grip on the knife.

The girl didn't respond, instead giving them a sad smile. "You've been busy, huh? Toriel, Undyne, Mettaton..." Her smile faded. "... My sons."

The child's grip on the knife became even tighter as they stepped threateningly toward her. The girl didn't even react. ***What are you talking about?**

"Going through the Underground, destroying everything in your path. Is that really the way to go?"

They scowled and lunged at the girl, swinging their knife at her. To their surprise, the knife went effortlessy through her body. A chill went through their knife and up their arm. The child stepped back, rubbing their arm to try and bring warmth back to it.

The older girl gave them a small smile. "You can not hurt me, and I can not hurt you."

 ***Then you are a waste of my time.** The young human stepped forward, trying to walk past the girl. Much to their annoyance, there seemed to be an invisible wall on either side of the girl.

"I'm sorry, I can not allow you to continue." The girl said, moving her hands so that they were now folded in front of her. "If you travel any further, you will erase this world... And I will not let that happen."

The child's eyes flashed red in anger. ***Let me through!** They lunged at the girl, attacking her again and again. The knife continued going through her body, each strike sending a chill through the knife back into their own body. Finally they drew back, shivering in a mixture of cold and anger. They scowled at the girl, trying to work out a way to get past her.

It was during that moment that Chara's grip on the stolen Soul slipped. The true owner, having given up any hope of regaining control when the battle with Sans had begun, immediately reacted. Frisk overpowered Chara, dropping the knife. As Chara struggled to regain control, Frisk pulled out their _Save_ menu. They reached out, hitting _Reset_. As the world around Fisk faded into darkness, they heard the girl's voice again.

"Casey. My name's Casey. Don't worry, I will try and keep them away from you... Thanks for deciding to go back to the happy ending."

* * *

 _Holy wow, this chapter didn't really want to come out._

 _Just a thought... I wonder what would've happened if Sans had absorbed Casey's Soul..._


	20. Toward a Pacifist Ending

_WARNING: SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS FOR ANYONE WHO HAS NOT PLAYED THE GAME OR WATCHED A PLAYTHROUGH IN THE LAST HALF OF THIS CHAPTER!_

 _... Though why would you be here reading this if you have not yet done either of those?_

* * *

Frisk walked up the stairwell, passing the Nice Cream Guy and the two Royal Guards. The ground beneath them suddenly changed, and a building loomed over the child. As they walked up, they saw Sans standing by the door.

 ***Sans!**

 **"hey. i heard you're going to the core."** Sans stated as the human walked up. **"how about grabbing some dinner with me first?"**

 ***Yeah!**

 **"great. thanks for treating me."** Ignoring Frisk's annoyed look, Sans started toward the side of the building. **"over here. i know a shortcut."** Frisk followed Sans around the side, and soon found themselves in front of an empty table.

 **"... well, here we are. so. your journey's almost over, huh? you must really want to go home."** Sans asked, gaining a nod from Frisk. **"hey. i know the feeling, kiddo.** **though... maybe sometimes it's better to take what's given to you."**

Frisk looked at him, confused. ***Huh?**

 **"down here you've already got food, drink, friends... is what you have to do really worth it?"** Sans looked away from Frisk for a moment, lost in thought. After a moment, he looked at the child again. **"... ah, forget it. i'm rootin' for ya kid."** The child's eyes lit up. Sans glanced away again, then looked back over at them. **"hey. let me tell you a story. so, i'm a sentry in snowdin forest, right?"**

 ***Yeah.**

 **"i sit out there and watch for humans. it's kinda boring. but deep in the forest, there's this HUGE locked door. and behind the door? a woman i like to consider a friend. i go down to the door everyday. so one day, i'm knocking out some knock knock jokes. and i noticed she wasn't laughing very much. i asked her what was up. then she told me something strange."**

 ***Strange?**

 **"she told me, "If a human ever comes through this door... could you please, please promise something? Watch over them, and protect them, will you not?". now, i hate makin' promises. but... i couldn't say no to her."** Sans sighed, turning away and fidgeting his hands in his pockets. After taking a slight breath, he turns to see Frisk gazing at him in confusion. **"but ya know... even without the promise..."** Sans sighed again, closing his eyesockets. **"... even if it's my job, i don't think i could hurt a human..."**

 ***... Sans?**

 **"... heh."** Sans stepped away from the table, walking towards the plants decorating the restaurant. **"well, that's all. take care of yourself, kid. 'cause someone really cares about ya."** Finished with the conversation, Sans headed back toward the wall and disappeared.

Frisk stared after the skeleton, confused. After a moment, the child headed back on their way.

* * *

Frisk stood in front of Asgore, keeping their hands from trembling as the king of the monsters stood before them. "Human... It was nice meeting you... Goodbye..." As the King prepared to destroy the _Mercy_ button, a fireball appeared nearby, hitting Asgore and sending him sprawling.

Toriel stepped forward. "What a miserable creature, torturing such a poor, innocent, youth... Do not be afraid, my child. It is I, Toriel, your friend and guardian. At first, I thought I would let you make your journey alone... But I could not stop worrying about you. Your adventure must have been so treacherous... And ultimately, it would burden you with a horrible choice. To leave this place, you'd have to take the life of another person. You would have to defeat Asgore. However... I realized... I can not allow that. It is not right to sacrifice someone simply to let someone leave here. Is that not what I have been trying to prevent this whole time?" Toriel asked as Asgore got to his feet. "So, for now, let us suspend this battle. As terrible as Asgore is... He deserves mercy too."

"Tori... You came back!" Asgore says quietly, stunned at seeing his wife after so long.

Toriel gave him a dark glare. "Do not 'Tori' me, Dreemurr!" She says bitterly, making Frisk flinch. "You pathetic whelp. If you really wanted to free our kind... You could have gone through the barrier after you had gotten ONE Soul, taken six Souls from the humans, then come back and freed everyone peacefully. Instead, you made everyone live in despair because you would rather wait here, meekly hoping another human never comes."

The heartbroken look on Asgore's face made Frisk focus on Toriel. "... Tori... You're right. I am a miserable creature... But, do you think we can at least be friends again?"

Frisk clasped their hands together, looking at Toriel hopefully. Everyone could be friends, right?

Toriel didn't see the look on Frisk's face, gazing at Asgore with an annoyed look on her face. She let out an aggravated sigh. "NO, Asgore." She said forcefully, making Asgore flinch as a few tears appeared in his eyes. Frisk's shoulders drooped.

"NNNGGGGGHHHAAA!" Undyne snapped, hurrying in. "ASGORE! HUMAN! Nobody fight each other! Everyone's gonna make friends, or else I'll-!" She broke off, spotting Toriel. "I-I'll..."

"Hello! I am Toriel. Are you the human's friend?" Toriel asked Undyne, the fish warrior looking at her in surprise. "It is nice to meet you."

"Ugh... Yeah? Nice to meet you!" Undyne says to her, then hurries over to Asgore. She dropped her voice, making Frisk strain their ears to try and hear her. "Hey, Asgore, is that your ex? Jeez, that's rough, buddy."

Alphys hurried in next, her claws shaking a little. "H-Hey! N-Nobody hurt each other!" Seeing Toriel, Alphys's claws began to shake a little more.

"Oh! Are you another friend? I am Toriel. Hello!" Toriel says, a warm smile on her face.

Alphys let out a nervous laugh. "O-Oh. H-h-hi!" She then scurried as close to Undyne as she could get.

Papyrus darted in next. _"HEY! NOBODY FIGHT ANYONE!"_ The skeleton exclaimed, making Frisk smile. _"IF ANYONE FIGHTS ANYONE, THEN I'LL BE FORCED TO ASK UNDYNE FOR HELP!"_

"Papyrus!" Toriel says warmly, making the taller skeleton grin at her.

 _"AH, HELLO LADY TORIEL!"_ Papyrus says gleefully, making the others look at him in surprise. Before anyone could question him, Sans sauntered in.

 **"hey guys. what's up?"**

"Hello, Sans!" Toriel says, smiling warmly at the two skeletons. Asgore watched their interaction, his eyes wide.

 **"oh, hey tori. 'sup? seems like ya finally came out of the ruins."**

"Yes, I have." Toriel says. The group then stood in front of Frisk, who smiled up at them. "My child, it seems as if you must stay here for a while. But looking at all the great friends you have made... I think you will be happy here."

"H-Hey, Papyrus... That reminds me... Y-You called everyone here, right? Well... I-If I got here before you, how did you know how to call everybody?"

 _"LET'S JUST SAY... A TINY FLOWER HELPED ME!"_ Papyrus says, making both Alphys's and Frisk's eyes widen.

"A-A tiny... F-f-flower?"

A series of vines shot in from out of nowhere, catching the group of monsters by surprise and lifting them into the air.

* * *

 _Well... You all know how this ends.~_

 _TWO CHAPTERS LEFT OF THIS STORY!_


	21. Sharing the Past

_Welcome to the second to last chapter to In Another Timeline. Unfortunately, this story has to come to an end soon... I hope you enjoy this chapter!_

* * *

It was a couple of days after Asriel had broken the barrier, and Frisk was currently helping Sans and Papyrus pack to go to the surface. Although, instead of helping pack, they were playing around in the packing peanuts. Sans was watching them, chuckling faintly.

Frisk paused in their playing, sitting up abruptly as a thought suddenly came to mind. They looked at Sans, ignoring the packing peanuts stuck in their hair. ***Hey Sans?**

 **"yeah, kiddo?"** Sans asked, walking closer to the child.

 ***I forgot to ask you... How did you and Papyrus know mom?**

Sans blinked in surprise at the question, tucking his hands further into his pockets. **"... how did we know tori?"** The skeleton asked, making Frisk nod. **"well, kid... it's a bit of a long story..."**

 ***We've got plenty of time!** Frisk protested.

 **"kiddo, look-"**

 _"SANS! I THOUGHT YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE PACKING!"_ Papyrus's scolding caught the two's attention as the taller skeleton came down the stairs, carrying the wooden box that had been perched on his bookshelf. _"IF YOU KEEP STALLING, WE'LL ARRIVE AT THE SURFACE TO LATE TO EAT DINNER WITH THE OTHERS!"_

 **"sorry, paps."** Sans said, relaxing a bit. **"we'll get right back t' that."** Papyrus gave a swift nod, placing the wooden box on top of the cardboard ones. As he headed into the kitchen, Sans glanced at Frisk. **"we'll talk later, okay kiddo?"**

Frisk watched as Sans vanished into a shortcut, probably heading into his room. The child crossed their arms, gazing around until their eyes settled on the wooden box. _It was low enough that they could reach it..._ Frisk jumped to their feet, brushing the packing peanuts off their clothes and hair before scurrying over to the boxes. As they reached up, the child hesitated. What if Sans and Papyrus got mad that Frisk had gone through the box? What if they were hiding something bad?

Shaking off a slight feeling of dread, Frisk reached up and carefully pulled the box down. Feeling _determined_ to know what was in the box, they hurried to the other side of the room. Sitting down, they settled the box down in their lap. Frisk gazed down at the box, examining it. Other than the engravings, the only other noteworthy thing was that there was no lock on it, despite there being a place to put one over the latch. Finally, they lifted the latch and slowly opened the box. Peering inside, the human froze as they tried to process what they had found. _A yellow human Soul._

 ***W-What the-!** Frisk shoved the box off their lap, jolting to their feet in a panic. ***Wh-Why!?** The box landed open on the floor, throwing the Soul out and onto the ground. Frisk stumbled back, staring at the yellow heart.

 _Ping._

Frisk was frozen in place as their Soul appeared on their chest, turning blue. Their eyes widened in terror when they saw Sans step closer, his left eye glowing a light blue. ***S-Sans!**

Frisk's gaze darted to Papyrus as the taller skeleton walked into the living room. _"WHAT WAS THAT RUCKUS? DIDN'T I TELL..."_ He trailed off, looking between the terrified human and his silently fuming sibling. _"B-BROTHER, HUMAN, WHAT HAPPENED?"_

 **"frisk opened the box."** Sans's voice was deathly calm, devoid of any emotion. Frisk glanced around, almost afraid that the skeleton was going to hurt them. They flinched as Sans's other arm came out of his pocket, but the skeleton made no attempt to hurt the human. He used his magic to lift up the Soul before sending it floating over to Papyrus.

 _"... OH."_ Papyrus was oddly quiet, his hands reaching out as he activated his own magic. Sans dropped his hold on the Soul, leaving it to hover over Papyrus's hands.

Frisk's hand s shook, one of the few motions the human could currently make. ***S-Sans, P-Papyrus! W-Why d-do you-**

 **"we'll tell ya, kid. i'll even release ya. we just need ya t' calm down first."**

Frisk began to take deep breaths, trying to calm themselves down. They watched as papyrus walked over to the box, kneeling down and righting it before gingerly placing the Soul back inside it.

 **"... are ya calmer, kid?"**

Frisk slowly nodded, finding themselves able to move again after Sans released his magic. ***W-Why? Why d-do you have a human Soul?**

 **"i told ya, kid. it's a bit of a long story."**

 _"... I THINK WE CAN FIND THE TIME, SANS..."_ Papyrus says. _"... I... I SUPPOSE WE COULD ARRIVE A BIT LATE, AND START OUR UNPACKING TOMORROW."_

 **"really pap?"** Sans asked, gaining a nod from Papyrus. **"... heh. sit down, kid."**

Frisk sat down, Sans and Papyrus doing the same. Papyrus carefully placed the box on his lap, keeping one hand on top of it as the other began fiddling nervously with the end of his scarf. Sans rubbed the back of his neck. **"heh... tibia honest, i've never had stage fright before."**

 _"HUMAN... DO YOU RECALL WHEN YOU FIRST ASKED ABOUT THE BOX? AND I SAID IT WAS SOMETHING IMPORTANT TO US?"_

 ***Y-Yes, but... A h-human Soul?**

 **"yeah, ya see... heh... how do we start?"**

 _"TH-THE SOUL BELONGED TO A HUMAN... THAT WAS VERY CLOSE TO US."_

 **"we... we considered her t' be..."**

 _"OUR MOTHER."_ Papyrus finally finished.

 ***M-Mother? Why?**

Sans sighed. **"kid, paps an' i honestly can't remember much of our past... before a certain point, all we can draw is an enormous blank. all i can remember... is that it wasn't very good. i remember bein' scared, and... and that paps was bein' hurt..."**

 _"BUT THEN WE MET CASEY."_

 ***Casey?**

 **"she was a fallen human. she found us in hotlands, and took us here to snowdin.**

 ***Hotlands? So she was trying to leave?**

 _"YES, HUMAN. BUT AFTER SHE FOUND US, SHE NEVER TRIED TO LEAVE THE UNDERGROUND AGAIN."_

 ***Why?**

 **"t' watch over paps an' i. we stayed in the inn for a week, until casey realized that the guard was closing in. if she had been captured, she wouldn't have been able to take care of us anymore. so we left snowdin."**

 ***You left? Where did you go?**

 _"WE WENT TO THE RUINS TO STAY WITH LADY TORIEL. SHE HELPED CASEY RAISE US."_

 ***That's how you knew mom!**

 **"yup."**

 ***But... What happened to Casey? Why did you leave the Ruins?**

 _"MOTHER... SHE GOT SICK. AFTER A COUPLE OF_ MONTHS..." Papyrus trailed off, his grip on his scarf tightening as Sans placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. _"SHE... SHE DIED."_

 ***... Oh.**

 **"tori put casey's soul in the box."** Sans continued, nodding toward the box Papyrus held. **"but after she was gone, we didn't want to stay in the ruins... so we moved here."**

Frisk remained quiet, and the three sat in silence for a minute. Papyrus was the first to move, holding the box tight. _"WE MUST FINISH PACKING IF WE WANT TO MOVE TO THE SURFACE BY TONIGHT!"_ He walked over to the pile of boxes, carefully putting the box on top. Grabbing the end of his scarf again, he headed back to the kitchen.

Sans stood, Frisk following his lead. **"c'mon kiddo, let'** **s pack for real this time."**

 ***... Sans? What did Casey look like?**

Sans went silent for a moment, touching a faded picture in his hoodie pocket. **"hold on, kid."** He walked over to the boxes, digging through one labeled _Papyrus's Books._ Pulling out a little brown book, he walked over to Frisk and handed it to them. **"here. tori took quite a few pictures of us."**

Frisk nodded, taking the photo album. They sat down, opening it up as Sans headed off to help Papyrus pack.


	22. Extended Family

_And now, the end of In Another Timeline. Thank you to all the readers who have read or reviewed this story, I'm really glad you all liked it._

 _Honestly, I'm not really sure if I like how this chapter turned out._

* * *

Edmund looked up from his toys as he heard a knock on the front door. Hopping to his feet, the child climbed onto the couch and peered through the curtains covering the front window. "Mommy, there are two funny-looking people outside."

"I'm coming!" A woman in her mid-thirties hurried into the living room. Drying her hands on her apron, she opened the front door. Her mouth dropped open in shock when she saw the two skeletons standing on her doorstep. One was taller, wearing a worn scarf and what seemed to be armor, holding a piece of paper in his gloved hands. The shorter one wore a blue hoodie, shorts, and a pair of fuzzy slippers.

The woman knew that monsters had moved to the surface nearly two months ago when the barrier was destroyed. It had been brodcasted all over the world on the news, the King asking if there could be peace between their races. But that had been several states away. What were two monsters doing here?

 _"EXCUSE ME, HUMAN, BUT IS THIS THE HOUSE OF DIANA WORTHER?"_ The taller skeleton asked, looking up from the piece of paper he held.

"Why... Why do you ask?' The woman asked nervously.

 _"WE WOULD LIKE TO TALK TO HER!_

"I... I am Diana." She answered uneasily.

 _"IT'S WONDERFUL TO FINALLY MEET YOU, DIANA!"_ The tall skeleton stepped forward, hugging her tightly. Diana tensed up in his hold. _"WE HAVE BEEN TRYING TO FIND YOU FOR THE PAST TWO MONTHS!"_

"L-Looking for me?"

 **"put her down, pap. you're scarin' her."**

'Pap' released Diana. _"I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AND THIS IS MY BROTHER SANS. HE IS NOT AS GREAT."_

 **"nice t' meet ya."**

"S-So, why were you looking for me?" Diana asked uneasily.

 **"do ya know of casey joltes?'**

"Casey Joltes?" Diana went silent, trying to remember a story she had been told before a voice broke her thoughts.

"Mommy, who are they?" Diana looked down at Edmund, who had walked up behind her and hid himself halfway behind her leg.

Papyrus looked down at him and grinned. _"HELLO, TINY HUMAN!"_

 **"heya, kiddo."**

"They came to talk to me." Diana answered, picking the child up. "Why... Why don't you two come in?" She added uncertainly, stepping away from the doorway.

 _"THANK YOU!"_ Papyrus exclaimed, walking in. Sans shuffled in behind him.

Diana shut the door once the two were inside. "... Take a seat... Do you want something to drink?" She asked as the two sat down, then mentally berated herself. Could skeletons even drink anything?

Sans and Papyrus seemed to think over her offer. _"I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WOULD BE VERY GRATEFUL FOR A CUP OF TEA."_

Diana looked at Sans, who seemed about to say something before he changed his mind. **"nah. i'm good."**

Diana nodded, putting Edmund down. "Behave."

"Okay mommy."

Diana hurried into the kitchen to make two cups of tea, trying to figure out why two skeletons wanted to talk to her about a family member that had gone missing years before.

Papyrus and Sans watched Diana disappear into the other room, then a tug on his glove brought Papyrus's attention elsewhere. Edmund was looking up at him, holding a large building block in his hands. _"HELLO, TINY HUMAN!"_

"... Wanna play?" Edmund asked, holding the block out to him.

Papyrus gently took the block from the child, looking at it before gazing back at Edmund. _"OF COURSE, TINY HUMAN! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL GLADY PLAY WITH YOU!"_

When Diana returned to the living room with the tea a few minutes later, she found that Edmund and Papyrus had built a small city with the blocks.

Papyrus looked up from where he sat on the floor as Edmund placed one last block onto the city. _"HELLO AGAIN, DIANA! THE TINY HUMAN AND I BUILT A CITY USING THESE BLOCKS!"_

Diana smiled faintly, placing the two cups onto the coffee table. "I can see that."

Papyrus got to his feet, stepping over the blocks and sitting on the couch next to Sans. _"THANK YOU, DIANA."_

"You're welcome." Diana says, pulling a chair into the living room from the kitchen and sitting on it. Edmund made his way over to the couch, stopping in front of Papyrus and holding up his arms. Papyrus immediately picked him up, snuggling the child onto his lap. Diana smiled, then coughed uneasily. "So... Why do you want to talk to me about Casey?"

 **"what d'ya know about her?"**

"She... She was my great-aunt. Nearly eighty-two years ago, when she was seventeen, she moved with her parents and younger brother to the city near Mt. Ebott."

 _"YOUNGER BROTHER?"_

"Yes. Winston, my grandfather."

 **"go on."**

"About two months after they moved, Casey went missing. Her parents called the police, and it was discovered that she had climbed the mountain. Rumors went rampant, from suicide to kidnapping. After that... She was never found, so they assumed she had died... How did you know of Casey?"

 _"SHE FELL INTO THE UNDERGROUND."_ Papyrus answered, snuggling Edmund closer.

 **"she found us when we were baby bones."**

 _"SANS-"_

 **"alright, not that young."** Sans admitted. **"just a bit older than the kiddo paps is holding."**

Diana looked at Edmund, who had taken an edge of Papyrus's scarf and was holding onto it. "What do you mean by 'found'?"

Sans tucked his hands further into his pockets. **"paps an' I were caught in a bad patch. casey found us and took us in."**

"Really?"

 _"YES. CASEY BROUGHT US TO SNOWDIN, A PLACE IN THE UNDERGROUND, FOR A WEEK. THEN WE MOVED ELSEWHERE. SHE..."_ Papyrus trailed off, rufflng Edmund's hair. _"SHE BECAME OUR MOTHER."_

Diana looked between the two, trying to process what Papyrus had just said. "M-Mother?"

 **"she took care of us."** Sans said as Papyrus nodded. **"over time, we ended up callin' her that."**

Diana gave a small nod. "... Okay... What happened to her?"

 _"... SHE DIED."_ Papyrus answered as Sans's gaze turned elsewhere.

"O-Oh... How?"

 **"she got sick, an' there was nothing we could do t' heal her."**

"... I'm sorry."

Sans shrugged as Papyrus sighed. _"AFTER WE CAME TO THE SURFACE, WE DECIDED TO TRY AND FIND CASEY'S FAMILY. TO TELL THEM WHAT HAPPENED TO HER, AND THAT SHE NEVER FORGOT THEM."_

"And I was the nearest canidate. My grandfather died about fifteen years ago, and my mother lives out of the country."

Sans nodded. **"so we came t' see you."**

"Thanks. It's good to know what happened to her."

Papyrus nodded, then straightened up. _"SANS! DID YOU BRING THE BOOK?"_

"Book?"

 **"yup. got it right here."** Sans pulled a brown photo album out of his hoodie pocket. Papyrus took it, then handed it to Diana.

 _"WE THOUGHT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE HER."_

Diana took the book, looking down at it. "Wow... Thanks."

 **"hey, bro? I think we need to leave soon."** Sans noted, glancing at the time.

Papyrus looked at the clock. _"WOW, SANS! I CAN NOT BELIEVE I'M SAYING THIS, BUT YOU'RE RIGHT!"_ Turning to Diana, he continued. _"SANS AND I HAVE TO LEAVE. DO YOU WANT ME TO LEAVE OUR ADDRESS?"_

"Address? Why?" Diana asked, confused.

 **"well, just 'cause we gotta book-it doesn't mean we don't want ya t' look at the pictures."** Sans said, getting up.

 _"EXACTLY!"_ Papyrus exclaimed, standing with Edmund in his arms. He knelt down, gently placing the boy on the floor. _"I'M SORRY, TINY HUMAN, BUT IT IS TIME FOR MY BROTHER AND I TO LEAVE."_

"You come back?" Edmund asked as Diana stood, retrieving a pad of paper and a pen.

 **"that'll be up t' your mom, kiddo."** Sans said as Papyrus took the items from Diana, scribbling down their address before handing them back.

Diana glanced down at Edmund. "We'll see."

After a round of farewells, Diana stood at the door as she watched the two skeletons leave, climbing into a red car. After they had driven down the road, she reentered the house and walked to the coffee table. She picked up the phone book, running a thumb along the edge of the pages. After a moment's hesitation, she opened it to the middle, peering at the first picture she saw.

It was a picture of a human in her mid-twenties, leaning back on one hand as she sat on a spread blanket, gazing up at the sky. A skeleton, a younger Sans Diana concluded due to the relaxed grin on his face, sat beside her as he lay his skull on her shoulder. Papyrus was lying down, seemingly asleep as his head lay on her lap, one of her hands covering his skull.

Diana smiled faintly as she gazed down at the picture, seeing a family member she never got a chance to meet. Then she gently closed the book.


	23. Epilogue: Star Gazing

_I know, I'm such a filthy liar. I said that the previous chater was the last, but... I was rereading this story, and the dialogue between Casey and Papyrus during the Looking for Stars chapter brought this to mind._

 _"Some people believe that a star is the Soul of someone you loved that is gone, and that the star is their way of watching over you..."_

* * *

"We're going all the way to the top?" Diana asked, a backpack settled on her back. It was an hour before sunset, and she had arrived in the city an hour before. Papyrus and Sans had invited her over, and now they were taking Diana and Edmund for a camping trip on top of Mt. Ebott.

 _"OF COURSE, DIANA! THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN IS THE BEST PLACE TO CAMP OUT AND LOOK AT THE STARS! SANS AND I GO ALL THE TIME!"_ Papyrus answered. He was also wearing a backpack, and Edmund was sitting up on his shoulders. Sans was trailing a little ways behind Diana, carryingb a small bag.

"What about the openings in the mountain? Couldn't we fall down one of them?"

 _"ABSOLUTELY NOT! KING ASGORE HAD ALL OF THE AREAS BORDERED BY BARRICADES SO NO ONE MAY FALL DOWN AGAIN."_

"... Alright then." She glanced back at Sans. "Are you doing alright back there? You're a bit slow."

 **"i'm always a bit slow. I'm just feeling bone tired at the moment."** Sans answered.

"Well... If you're sure." Diana replied.

After about twenty minutes of climbing, the group finally made it to a large clearing at the top of the mountain. Papyrus gently put Edmund down. _"DO NOT WANDER OFF TOO FAR, TINY HUMAN. WE DO NOT WANT YOU TO GET LOST."_

Edmund nodded. "'Kay."

Papyrus put down his backpack, Diana doing the same. Taking a tent out of his pack, Papyrus began to put it up. Diana started putting up a second one, and Sans watched Edmund to make sure the young boy didn't run off.

The tents were completed shortly before sunset, and Papyrus briefly disappeared to gather some firewood. He returned quickly, then Diana started a fire with the wood while Papyrus played _Adventurer_ with Edmund. As the sun set, Papyrus gathered up a sleepy Edmund into his arms.

 _"LOOK SANS, DIANA, THE STARS ARE STARTING TO COME OUT!"_ Papyrus exclaimed, snuggling Edmund close to him.

 **"yup."** Sans said as Diana looked at the appearing stars. **"ya gotta admit... these are quite beautiful."**

"Yes, they are..." Diana says softly.

 _"... SANS? WHICH ONE DO YOU THINK IS CASEY?"_

"Huh?" Diana asked, interrupting before Sans could speak.

 _"A LONG TIME AGO, MOTHER TOLD US THAT SHE BELIEVED THAT STARS ARE THE SOULS OF THE ONES WE LOVED WATCHING OVER US. I WONDER WHICH STAR IT MAY BE."_

 **"i'm not sure, pap."** Sans replied.

The trio gazed up at the stars, Edmund asleep in Papurus's arms. As they watched, one star's light seemed to flicker for a second.

 _"... THAT ONE. THAT ONE MUST BE MOTHER."_ Papyrus decided, watching the star flicker.

 **"why do ya say that, bro?"**

 _"THE LIGHT OF THE STAR FLICKERED! SHE IS TRYING TO SHOW US WHERE SHE IS SO WE CAN SEE HER!"_

Sans smiled. **"heh... yeah. i guess so, pap."**

After stargazing a bit more, it was time to eat dinner. Sans handed out a couple of Hot Dogs...?, which Diana happily ate. Papyrus ate some spaghetti he had brought.

As dinner came to a close, Diana took Edmund and headed into her own tent. "Good night."

 _"GOOD NIGHT, DIANA."_ Papyrus responded.

 **"see ya, kid. well, night pap. i'm gonna go rest."**

 _"GOOD NIGHT, SANS."_ Papyrus said as Sans headed into the second tent. Papyrus stayed up a bit later, tending the fire. After he was finished, he stood and looked up at the stars.

 _"... GOOD NIGHT, MOTHER. SANS AND I MISS YOU..."_


	24. Anonymous Review Answer(NOT A CHAPTER)

NOT AN UPDATE! Answering to a review~

Ernesto: As you were on a Guest account, I couldn't respond privately. Send me a PM? Otherwise, yes! You're free to do the translation if you credit both me and Zarla; the original creator of _Handplates_!


	25. Poll Information!

_There is a poll up on my profile to see what you would like to see for one last chapter of this story!_

 _And for option three, I **have** been working on a way for it to occur while making sense. I'm just hesitant to do so due to it being a bit Mary-Sue (in my opinion)._


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